Kenneth Elton “Ken” Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American author and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.
Kesey began writing the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1960, which was an immediate commercial and critical success when published two years later. Subsequently, he moved to La Honda, California and began hosting parties known as “Acid Tests” which involved LSD. He belonged to a group of friends known as the “Merry Pranksters” and socialized with San Francisco band the Grateful Dead, influencing their career.