Book excerpt: Andrei Codrescu's infamous anti-literary magazine Exquisite Corpse became a prime site of engaged dialogue in the stormy decade of its existence. Taking its name from Surrealism, the Corpse became the home of rebellion, passion, polemic, black humor, sedition, and all points between the front lines and back alleys of contemporary culture. In this text, Codrescu and Rosenthal resurrect the best essays and poems from Carl Rakosi, James Purdy, Joel Oppenheimer, Robert Creeley, Tom Clark and other members of America's vibrant and eclectic avant-garde.