 First edition | |
| Author | Ken Kesey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
Publication date | July 27, 1964 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 715 |
| OCLC | 71045661 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3561.E667 S6 2006 |
Sometimes a Great Notion is the second novel by American author Ken Kesey, published in 1964. While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) is more famous, many critics consider Sometimes a Great Notion Kesey's magnum opus.[1] The story involves an Oregon family of gyppo loggers who cut trees for a local mill in opposition to unionized workers who are on strike.
Kesey took the title from the song "Goodnight, Irene", popularized by Lead Belly.
Sometimes I lives in the country
Sometimes I lives in the town
Sometimes I haves a great notion
To jump into the river an' drown [2]
- ^ Bowden 2006, p. xv.
- ^ Price, Carter (April 1962). "Leadbelly – A Fighting, Wenching, Singing Man". Negro Digest. XI (6): 20.