In one memorable passage, Susie and Mimi take in a “beatnik joint” where, Mimi has heard, “they read poetry, serve cocktails in soup cans and smoke reefer.” When they arrive, there are black musicians and men kissing (one is dressed in a French sailor’s shirt, like Marcel Marceau, and wears a beret). Should you care that the term “beatnik” wouldn’t be coined until several years later? (“Database” also makes a premature appearance. ) Oh, probably not, any more than you should care that we get a Lubbock, Texas, that is hilly and wet and full of trees.
Source: latimes.com – Los Angeles Times