`Cuckoo's Nest' author Ken Kesey dies

Ken Kesey, whose novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and subsequent drug-infused exploits inspired the hippie movement, died yesterday following surgery on his liver. He was 66.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, published in 1962, was inspired by Kesey's experiences as a psychiatric aide in a hospital. It portrays the struggle between McMurphy, an inmate faking insanity, and Nurse Ratched, a figure of mind-numbing authority. The book was a critical and financial success and the Milos Forman-directed film version earned four Oscars in 1975.

Using the money he made from the book, Kesey set off in 1964 on an odyssey across the United States in a garishly painted bus. Along the way he held court over "The Merry Pranksters," whose drug-addled exploits became the basis for Tom Wolfe's 1968 book The Electric Kool- Aid Acid Test. The driver of the bus was Neal Cassady, the inspiration for Jack Kerouac's Beat classic On the Road.

Kesey continued to write until undergoing liver surgery two weeks ago and he was also working on turning footage of the 1964 bus journey into a trio of films. When asked in a recent interview if he had any regrets about his colourful past, Kesey said: "Anybody who says they have no regrets is either a dimwit or a liar - probably both."

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