Divine Right's Trip: A Novel of the Counterculture

This first Gnomon Press edition was published in 1990.

Divine Right's Trip is a countercultural classic that captures the spirit of the 1960s and early 1970s. The novel follows Divine Right (D. R.) Davenport, a restless young man on a journey of self-discovery, as he embarks on a cross-country road trip in his beloved but unreliable old Volkswagen bus, Urge. Accompanied at times by his free-spirited girlfriend, Estelle, D. R. embarks on an odyssey that takes him through communes, small towns, and encounters with eccentric characters, each offering insights into D. R.'s own struggles with identity, freedom, and belonging.

Originally published as a serial in the Last Whole Earth Catalog in 1971, Divine Right's Trip is both a road novel and a coming-of-age story, reflecting the era's tensions between individualism and community, rebellion and responsibility. Gurney Norman's writing is infused with humor, sharp social observation, and a deep appreciation for the landscapes and people of Appalachia, where D. R. ultimately finds himself confronting his roots.

A defining work of Appalachian literature and the countercultural movement, Divine Right'sTrip remains a thought-provoking exploration of personal growth, societal change, and the search for meaning in an ever-shifting world.

Gurney Norman is a novelist and short-story writer whose works include the books Divine Right's Trip, Kinfolks, Ancient Creek, and Allegiance. He is an emeritus professor of English at the University of Kentucky and a former Kentucky poet laureate. A native of eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia, he was the recipient of a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing at Stanford University. Norman has received many honors for his work, including induction into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, and is a widely known Appalachian literary and cultural advocate. He is a coeditor of Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes and An American Vein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature.