Jack Kerouac has become a larger than life figure
in American literature over the past five decades since the publication
of
On the Road in 1957. Events
commemorating Kerouac and his writing have taken place at bookstores,
writers' forums and conferences, and university campuses across the
country marking this 50th year anniversary. Although the United States
is a different country than it was when Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty
made their fictional trek across it, the words that spring from the
pages still evoke a certain spirit and timelessness that has not faded.
It's what has attracted subsequent generations to this book. It's easy
to become entranced by the journey of these unique, inherently flawed,
yet irresistible characters. It brings the reader back to an historical
context in America that gave rise to the Beat Generation that influenced
not only literature, but art, music, social mores, politics and even the
birth of our consumer culture.
The characters in
On the Road seem so real because Kerouac based them on
many of the people who formed his inner circle, especially his close
bond with his pal Neal Cassady. A few of these friends are featured in
Paired Readings. They collectively were a group of bright, yet
imperfect, and smart individuals who had their own unique set of talents
that helped create the Beat movement.
This novel is written in the first person narrative and chronicles Sal's
search for identity. Kerouac's use of free-form prose, what he called
spontaneous prose, was something entirely new. Its impact on literary
form would be huge. Kerouac spent his short life creating works that
piece by piece defined who he was. Kerouac was born to French Canadian
parents in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1922. A defining moment in his
childhood would be the death of his older brother Gerard from rheumatic
fever. His family knew financial hardships but Kerouac performed well in
school and would later excel at football in high school. He was awarded
scholarships from both Boston College and Columbia University. He opted
for Columbia and spent a year at Horace Mann Prep in the Bronx prior to
enrolling there. He had a brief marriage to Edie Parker while he was in
college. Parker's most recent book,
You'll Be Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac was
published (posthumously) by City Lights. This marriage was annulled and was followed by two other
marriages.
The Town and the City was his first published novel but it
would be the publication of
On the Road that would launch him into
eternal fame.
Kerouac formed close bonds with many writers who became compelling
influences in his life. These included Allen Ginsberg, William
Burroughs, Gregory Corso, and Joyce Johnson among others. He traveled
extensively and never really held a real job other than some temporary
work that kept him afloat until his published works brought in a
sustainable income. Unfortunately, his drinking escalated almost in
tandem with his rise to fame. He suffered an abdominal hemorrhage caused
by chronic alcoholism and died at the age of 47 in October of 1969.
Click here to see what
Jack Kerouac titles
are available at Escondido Public Library.
Works about the author held
by the library:
Off the Road: My Life with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg
By Carolyn Cassady
Jack Kerouac: A Biography
By Ann Charters
Jack Kerouac: A Biography
By Michael J. Dittman
Jack Kerouac
By Warren French
Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in Letters, 1957-1958
By Joyce Johnson
When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School
By Sam Kashner
Jack Kerouac (Teen Book)
By Jenn McKee
It's Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac
By Edie Parker
