One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The best-known and most accessible starting point, and Kesey's landmark first novel.
Author guide
Ken Kesey Books in Order
Ken Kesey (1935–2001) was an American writer whose fiction, essays, memoirs, children's books, and performance work helped define the literary culture of the 1960s. Born in Colorado and raised in Oregon, he studied creative writing at Stanford and worked at a California psychiatric hospital, experiences that informed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He later became associated with the Merry Pranksters and psychedelic counterculture while continuing to write about individual freedom, community, regional identity, and American mythology.
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Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Sometimes a Great Notion
A strong second starting point for readers interested in Kesey's ambitious regional and family-centered fiction.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (5)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
novel · 1962
In this classic novel, Ken Kesey’s hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other…
- Sometimes a Great Notion
novel · 1964
From the Publisher: The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Following the astonishing success of his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey wrote what Charles Bowden…
- Demon Box
fiction and nonfiction collection · 1986
In this collection of short stories, Ken Kesey challenges public and private demons with a wrestler's brave and deceptive embrace, making it clear that the energy of madness must live on.
- The Further Inquiry
illustrated nonfiction · 1990
- Sailor Song
novel · 1992
Nonfiction (1)
- Letters from Mexico
letters and memoir · 1967
Essays and speeches (1)
- Kesey's Garage Sale
essay and miscellany collection · 1973
A miscellanea mostly by Kesey, some by his friends.
Children's books (2)
- Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear
children's book · 1990
Little Tricker the squirrel watches as Big Double the bear terrorizes the forest animals one by one, but then Little Tricker gets revenge.
- The Sea Lion: A Story of the Sea Cliff People
children's book · 1991
Plays (1)
- Twister
play · 1994
Posthumous collections (1)
- Kesey's Jail Journal: Cut the M************ Loose
posthumous memoir and journal collection · 2003
Kesey's expanded version of the journals he kept while in San Mateo County Jail and Sheriff's Honor Camp in 1967.
Collaborations (2)
- Caverns
collaborative novel · 1990
- Last Go Round: A Real Western
co-authored novel · 1994
It was around a sagebrush campfire in eastern Oregon that Kesey first heard the tale from his father - about the legendary "last go round" that took place at the original Pendleton Round Up in 1911. Hundreds of riders were competing for…
Other (2)
- Letters and Short Pieces
collection · 1968
- The Day After Superman Died
chapbook · 1980
Frequently asked questions about Ken Kesey
Who was Ken Kesey?
Ken Kesey (1935–2001) was an American novelist, essayist, and countercultural figure whose writing and public persona became closely associated with the literary culture of the 1960s.
Where was Ken Kesey born and educated?
Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado, and grew up in Springfield, Oregon. He earned a speech and communications degree from the University of Oregon in 1957 and later studied creative writing at Stanford University.
What inspired Ken Kesey to write One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?
While studying at Stanford, Kesey worked at Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, including as a night attendant, and participated in experiments with mind-altering drugs. His observations of psychiatric patients and institutional life informed the novel.
Why is Ken Kesey associated with the Merry Pranksters?
Kesey became a central figure in the 1960s psychedelic counterculture. In 1964, he and the Merry Pranksters traveled across the United States in a brightly painted bus called Further, helping popularize their experimental communal and artistic events.
Sources: oregonencyclopedia.org (opens in a new tab)stanfordmag.org (opens in a new tab)
What awards did Ken Kesey receive, and how is he remembered?
Kesey was a co-recipient of the Western Literature Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1988 and received the Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Award in 1991. He is remembered as both an influential American novelist and a bridge between Beat writing and 1960s counterculture.
Sources: westernlit.org (opens in a new tab)latimes.com (opens in a new tab)oregonencyclopedia.org (opens in a new tab)