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Introduction

Jack Kerouac

Every year, Jack Kerouac gets discovered all over again. His nontraditional style has made him a favorite of alternative writers and thinkers. His stream-of-consciousness approach was both revelatory and revolutionary, particularly in the conservative atmosphere of the 1950s. Ironically, his off-the-cuff writing style has sparked much academic debate: while some scholars claim he meticulously crafted works such as On the Road to achieve the spontaneity for which he became famous, others simply labeled his writing as rambling and indulgent. Despite these criticisms (and also because of them), Kerouac has evolved from cult figure to literary staple, and his antiestablishment point of view has influenced generations of authors. Intentionally or not, Kerouac secured his place in contemporary literature as the antidote to traditional writing.

Essential Facts

1. Kerouac’s loose, freewheeling style in part reflected his spiritual bent as he turned to Buddhism during the heyday of his writing career.
2. Kerouac was a friend of fellow cutting-edge writers William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, the latter of whom was heavily influenced by Kerouac’s writing style.
3. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of On the Road, the book was republished in 2007 featuring previously unseen material that had been censored in its original publication.
4. Despite his reputation as King of the Beat Generation in the 1950s, Kerouac had great disdain for the counterculture it catalyzed in the subsequent decade.
5. Kerouac, whose lineage traces back to Quebec, began writing On the Road in French.