Ben Preiss
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It’s been 50 years since On the Road was published, and over 56 years since Jack Kerouac typed out the Beat Bible on a 120 ft (37m) long scroll. According to legend, Kerouac wrote it during a 20 day long Benzedrine fueled marathon in New York City. He swore years later still that there were no stimulants other than coffee involved. Substance abuse aside, Kerouac created the Beat generation. He inspired artists that fueled the creative explosion and counterculture ideas of the 1960s, the same ones that still inspire artists today. On the Road is a twentieth century American classic; if you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favour and pick this one up, even if it’s the only book you read this year.  On The Road endures not because it is a road book. Kerouac never even drove a car. On The Road is a manual on how and what to be on the road. Loose. Lonely. Accepting. Horny. Oh yeah, and listen to the music. On The Road is about the aspirations of movement and what happens to your soul as you slide through America's visionary tunnel. It celebrates living for the moment and how such spontaneity lessens fear. Kerouac spoke in edgy yet warm tones to a Cold War generation. In reviewing On The Road for the Sun-Times, Nelson Algren wrote that it was "the best account of the 'go' generation. Kerouac has the courage to say something, in his own fashion, about the world in which he is actually living."
(suntimes)References: sfgate, suntimes Filed In: |
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