Results of studying the nature of glowing generated by pentaerythrite tetranitrate (PETN) excitation by an electron beam with a mean electron energy of approximate to 250 keV and a current-pulse duration of 15 nsec are presented. The pulse-averaged power density of the beam is varied within 10(6) <= P <= 10(10) W/cm(2). For 10(6) <= P <= 10(8) W/cm(2), the main type of glowing is demonstrated to be pulsed cathodoluminescence of PETN. In the pre-detonation mode (p approximate to 10(9) W/cm(2)), more inertial glowing is formed on the rear front of the luminescence peak, which is identified as the glowing of products of explosive transformation of PETN formed in the region of electron-beam travel. For P >= 5.10(9) W/cm(2), an additional glowing pulse is formed, which is associated with formation and spreading of a dense plasma emerging owing to detonation of the entire mass of the sample.