Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1922. In 1947, enthused by bebop, the rebel attitude of his friend Neal Cassidy, and the throng of hobos, drug addicts and hustlers he encountered in New York, he decided to discover America and hitchhhike across the country. His writing was openly autobiographical and he developed a style he referred to as 'spontaneous prose' which he used to record the experiences of the Beat Generation. Among his many novels are On the Road, Maggie Cassidy, The Subterraneans, The Dharma Bums and Big Sur. He died in 1969.
Who hasn't wished to be ``on the road,'' free from daily responsibilities, crossing vast geographical distances, preoccupied largely with sex, music, alcohol, and conversation with friends? Kerouac carved a place in American literature by capturing that common longing with his characters Sal and Dean and their intermittent, rambling trips throughout the Western United States and Mexico. On the Road is an excellent choice for the audio format, since Kerouac's use of language seems even richer when the words are spoken aloud. Narrator David Carridine's nonchalant manner is a perfect match to the work's tone. A necessary addition to most collections. Be aware, however, that this is a reissue of a 1986 recording.-- Jeanne P. Leader, Western Nebraska Community Coll. Lib., Scottsbluff
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