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Jack Kerouac

Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac[1] (/ˈkɛru.æk/;[2] March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet[3] who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.[4]

Jack Kerouac

Jean-Louis Kérouac
(1922-03-12)March 12, 1922
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.

October 21, 1969(1969-10-21) (aged 47)
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.

  • Poet
  • novelist

1942–1969

(m. 1944; div. 1948)
(m. 1950; div. 1951)
(m. 1966)

Of French-Canadian ancestry,[5][6] Kerouac was raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts. He "learned English at age six and spoke with a marked accent into his late teens."[7] During World War II, he served in the United States Merchant Marine; he completed his first novel at the time, which was published more than 40 years after his death. His first published book was The Town and the City (1950), and he achieved widespread fame and notoriety with his second, On the Road, in 1957. It made him a beat icon, and he went on to publish 12 more novels and numerous poetry volumes.


Kerouac is recognized for his style of stream of consciousness spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as his Catholic spirituality, jazz, travel, promiscuity, life in New York City, Buddhism, drugs, and poverty. He became an underground celebrity and, with other Beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements.[8] He has a lasting legacy, greatly influencing many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jerry Garcia and the Doors.


In 1969, at the age of 47, Kerouac died from an abdominal hemorrhage caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. Since then, his literary prestige has grown, and several previously unseen works have been published.

(with Steve Allen) (1959)

Poetry for the Beat Generation

(with Al Cohn and Zoot Sims) (1959)

Blues and Haikus

(1960)

Readings by Jack Kerouac on the Beat Generation

—An introduction to the life and work of Jack Kerouac, and the deep impact he had on our society and culture.

Kerouac.net

– The Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for the Public Humanities's website is an interactive storehouse and exhibition space dedicated to Jack Kerouac and connected topics.

JackKerouac.com

at IMDb

Jack Kerouac

at Curlie

Jack Kerouac

at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University

Jack Kerouac Papers

held by the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, New York Public Library

Jack Kerouac Papers, 1920–1977

from C-SPAN's American Writers: A Journey Through History

"Writings of Jack Kerouac"

—The definitive key to the 600+ characters in Kerouac's novels.

The Kerouac Companion

Radio documentary by Gabriel Anctil ans Jean-Philippe Pleau on Radio-Canada (2015)

sur-les-traces-de-kerouac

ebook by Gabriel Anctil & Marie-Sandrine Auger

sur-les-traces-de-kerouac

Emory University: Jack Kerouac collection, 1950-1978

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library

Emory University: Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac papers,1940-1994

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library

Emory University: John Sampas collection of Jack Kerouac material, circa 1900-2005

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library

at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Works by Jack Kerouac