Jack Kerouac

The American writer Jack Kerouac, b. Jean Louis Kerouac, Lowell, Mass., Mar. 12, 1922, d. Oct. 21, 1969.

Kerouac, became a general figure in the beat generation, a term that he himself coined. Famous for such books as On the Road (1957), The Dharma Bums and The Subterraneans (both 1958), Doctor Sax (1959), Lonesome Traveler (1960), and Big Sur (1962). Big Sur brings the reader up to speed on how the writer coped following the publication of his legendary novel On The Road and all the intense pressure that such a literary success brought with it.

His works were somewhat loosely structured, and very much autobiographical in nature. Kerouac's trademark writing style seethes with brilliance, his poetic prose being utterly captivating and beautifully philosophical. Kerouac was a great thinker for sure, and very fond of being left along for prolonged periods of time to indeed think and reflect on life and love. What's more, he possessed an amazing ability to convey whatever he felt onto paper. For all time, and for the rest of the world to relish, and for that we have to be thankful.
On the Road his most renowned piece of work was written in less than three weeks and demonstrated a fresh avant-garde style. This new writing was spontaneous and seemed to be at times unedited. It possessed a strange energy that shocked more established writers but only brought Kerouac well-deserved recognition. This is probably the best book written on the Beat Generation, capturing the essence of the times and the spirit that established what became the underground culture of America. Teens and young adults having trouble articulating their deepest feelings may find that Kerouac did it for them almost a half century ago.

Like the trip that inspired it, the first draft of author Jack Kerouac's On the Road is a wandering narrative, told in a continuous block of text, quite literally. Written on a single roll of paper, the piece is physically a steam of conscience, the scroll manuscript is over a 120 feet long, physically representing the journey that he took in writing the book.

Kerouac is now seen as a classic writer of American literature, and someone that should be read by anyone. Particularly those who feel they are on a particularly difficult part of the journey we call life.