Psychedelic Literature
Psychedelic literature broke through to the American public in 1954 with Aldous Huxley’s publication of The Doors of Perception and continued its popularity through the 1970s. The literature of psychedelia promotes hallucinogenic drug use and often describes the experiences of its characters through dreamlike imagery, such as visual condensation, and hazy tones. The writings of psychedelic authors encompass both fiction and non-fiction, (most frequently categorized as Journalism), with an emphasis on an altered state of consciousness that blurs the boundaries of reality, creating a kind of fictitious reality for the reader and the drug experimenter. The emotions and reflections of the hallucinogen user connect with that of a dreamer in that they both report moments of elation and intense fear, an analysis of the self and society, and a difficulty in expressing experiences in a logical lingual fashion.
After his experience with the hallucinogen mescaline, (a derivative of peyote, which is found naturally in a species of cactus) Aldous Huxley, a well known author and scholar, published The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell, recounting and analyzing his experience. Through his work Huxley laid the groundwork for what would become the art of psychedelic literature.
Famous communes of drug experimenters led to other works such as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe, in which he writes of the adventures of the ever popular Merry Pranksters. The Merry Pranksters were a gang of prolific hallucinogen users led by Ken Kesey (the well known author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). The group had a ‘home-base’ in La Honda, California, south of San Francisco, however, much of the book looks into their cross-country travels on a bus, named "Further," covered in Day-Glo paint and full of acid. Although Wolfe himself barely took part in the psychedelic drug experience his account of the lives of the Pranksters puts to use the qualities of psychedelic literature that allow him to capture the state of mind and emotional rollercoaster that is the LSD ‘experience.’
The echo of the psychedelic culture of the 1960s carved the way for later works of the 70s such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in which author Hunter S. Thompson analyzes the effect of the previous decade while indulging in the drug culture that sprung out of it. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is considered non-fiction and is usually categorized with texts in Journalism. The main character, Raul Duke, although with a different name is clearly Hunter S. Thompson; they share the same profession, the same lifestyle, and the character actually gets a telegram at his hotel addressed to Hunter S. Thompson. The story recounts the adventures of Raul Duke and his lawyer in Las Vegas as well as the nightmares that become reality with over abundant drug use. In 1998 Raul Duke's story was retold on the big screen starring Johnny Depp. 
Read more:
Dreaming and the Psychedelic Experience
Psychedelic Literature
What is the Psychedelic Experience?
It's all about the Brain: Hobson's Theory
Drugged up dreamy testimonies
The End of the Psychedelic Era
About the Author and Further Reading