Lonesome Traveler by Jack Kerouac -- A Review

Jack Kerouac was on the cusp of becoming one of the best known of the Beat poets and writers when this book was written.

Cover image for Lonesome Traveler, by Jack Kerouac

Lonesome Traveler

When Jack wrote Lonesome Traveler, he was working at various jobs while he tried to get On The Road published. He observed, lived through and recorded a time period of change in the USA. It was a time of questioning, a time of epic road trips and the introduction of variety in American literature style.

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In this autobiographical work, Jack Kerouac writes about the years of his wandering, when he worked as a railway brakeman in California, a steward on a tramp steamer, and a fire lookout on Desolation Peak in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Lonesome Traveler includes San Francisco stories, New York scenes (the clubs, the parties), and a saved-for big trip to Europe. Jack was getting his culture education and wasn't afraid of working to achieve his goals. This generation was restless, curious, and a forerunner of the social movements to come. No longer content to sit and grow old in the same place as their parents, the young adults of this time period (the 50s) wanted to see the USA and the world'.

Kerouac also reveals more about himself in this book, as he talks about his goals, his work and how he writes. His personal life is always a bit 'in limbo' as his relationships don't tend to survive. He does remain in touch with the other members of the Beat group, albeit sporadically. A bit different from his stream of consciousness rambling, Lonesome Traveler is an enjoyable read with a lot of detail packed into the narrative.  I recommend this book for those who like the historical detail of the Beat poets and writers, or those who like to read about the man, Jack Kerouac. 


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An Alley in 'Frisco

In recognition of his literary contributions, Jack Kerouac has an alley behind City Lights Bookstore named for him. 'If you're going to San Francisco' as the song goes, be sure to stop by and drop in at the City Lights Bookstore. Ferlinghetti, the longtime owner-poet-writer, ensured many of the Beat authors were represented there, along with poets and other authors.

Kerouac Alley in San Francisco, CA. by AC, prop DG Hudson

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Have you ever read any of the Beat writers? Are you a fan of Kerouac's novels? Ever seen Kerouac Alley?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by! I'll soon be reading and reviewing several more recent books, one by Jessica Bell, and several by other current indie writers. 

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References:

American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Ferlinghetti

City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Lights_Bookstore

A to Z post on Jack Kerouac
https://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2016/04/k-kerouac-jack-author-z-blog-challenge.html

Jack Kerouac, American writer
https://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/07/jack-kerouac-american-writer.html

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K = KEROUAC, Jack - Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

When Route 66 was the Road to the other side of the country. . .Jack Kerouac wrote about it.

Jack Kerouac by photographer Tom Palumbo, 1956

K = Kerouac, Jack, Author
Theme = Authors, AtoZ


Jack Kerouac, born Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, to French Canadian parents on March 12, 1922 - October 21, 1969 in Lowell, Massachusetts was an American novelist and poet. Kerouac was a pioneer of the Beat Generation like William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.

In 1926, when Jack's older brother Gerard, aged nine, died of rheumatic fever, the four year old Jack was deeply affected. He claimed his brother followed him in life as his guardian angel. Jack had a Catholic background impressed on him by his mother. This guardian angel is the 'Gerard' of Kerouac's novel, Visions of Gerard. 

When his football career ended at Columbia, Kerouac dropped out of university.  During this time he met his first wife Edi Parker and met the Beat Generation people, now famous, which whom he would always be associated: Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, John Clellon Holmes, Herbert Huncke and William S. Burrroughs.

Kerouac wrote his first novel, The Sea is My Brother, while serving in the US Merchant Marine. Written in 1942, it was not published until 2011, 42 years after Kerouac's death and 70 years after it was written.

Jack Kerouac, 1950, *photo credit

Kerouac completed On the Road in April 1951, a book that was autobiographical and describes these adventures across the US and Mexico with Neal Cassady in the late 40s. 
Though the work was completed quickly, Kerouac had a difficult time finding a publisher before it was accepted by Viking Press. During that time Kerouac worked as a "railroad brakeman and fire lookout". 


The truth was, publishers rejected On the Road because it flouted the social mores of the time in post-War America. The book discusses some taboo subjects, the kind that could result in obscenity charges being filed. A similar fate had befallen Burroughs (Naked Lunch) and Ginsberg (Howl). For the next few years, Kerouac continued writing, and travelling through the US and Mexico. He had drafts finished that would become more novels, including The Subterraneans, Doctor Sax, Desolation Angels and Tristessa.


On October 20, 1969 at 11 am, Kerouac was sitting in his favorite chair, drinking and scribbling notes for a book. He became ill and began vomiting large amounts of blood. After being rushed to the hospital, he underwent surgery that evening, but his damaged liver prevented his blood from clotting. Kerouac died at 5:15 am on October 21, 1969. His death was due to an internal hemorrhage - bleeding esophageal varices, caused by cirrhosis. A lifetime of heavy drinking had taken its toll.

Since his death, Kerouac's literary prestige has grown. All Kerouac's books are in print today, including The Town and the City, On the Road, Doctor Sax, The Dharma Bums, Mexico City Blues, The Subterraneans, Desolation Angels, Visions of Cody, The Sea Is My Brother, and Big Sur.

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

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References:

Partial list of Books by Kerouac:
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/07/jack-kerouac-american-writer.html

Wiki on Jack Kerouac
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac

More about Jack Kerouac
http://www.biography.com/people/jack-kerouac-9363719

The Paris Review
http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4260/the-art-of-fiction-no-41-jack-kerouac

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Image of Jack Kerouac by Tom Palumbo.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

*Image of Kerouac from The Guardian, 1950,
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2012/oct/19/jack-kerouac-october

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Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac - A Review

Everybody's looking for Something. . .*

Satori in Paris

Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac

Satori in Paris reads like a poem in certain spots, before Kerouac reverts back to his beat-influenced narrative style. Jack is looking for the history of his family name, especially in Brittany, and he wants to meet his relatives or seek information about his ancestors. Will he find what he's looking for? Will he be accepted or ignored by those of his familial village. . .?

Between encounters with Parisians, including ladies of the bars and eloquent cab drivers, Jack finds France a learning experience. Satori in Paris can be read quickly, and it sheds some insight on Jack's melancholy. He was forever seeking, trying to understand, trying to make sense of life. I read Satori in Paris again for this review, and it still held my attention as I tried to imagine Paris in the nineteen-sixties when it was written. Black and white images and rain. . .a figure walks alone.

Recommended.

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Satori means 'a sudden illumination' or 'a kick in the eye'.

Satori in Paris is preceded by Desolation Angels (1965), and followed by Vanity of Duluoz (1968). 

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Jack Kerouac, American Writer- a previous blogpost with a list of Kerouac books.

* Song Reference: (Thanks, Annie Lennox, a line from Sweet Dreams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg

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Have you read any of Jack Kerouac's books? Which ones? What do you think of Beat writers/poets? (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, etc.)

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac Wiki on Jack Kerouac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satori_in_Paris About the book, Satori in Paris

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Jack Kerouac, American Writer

A Time of Questioning in American literature. . .

Jack Kerouac Alley, San Francisco, CA - courtesy of AC photos

Were the Beat writers and poets, circa 1946 - 1962, the last great American movement in writing?  Many of these writers questioned traditional values and morals in a world recovering from war.  What kind of future could they expect?  In his novels, Kerouac captures the restlessness of the young men and women of those days.  Media blurbs called him the father of a 'beat generation'.


Jack Kerouac, born March 12, 1922 – deceased October 21, 1969, was a writer who used his own life as background material for his novels.  In his books, you'll find a taste of American life in the late forties and fifties, a time of 'quiet unrest'.  Hoping the dark times were past, this generation wanted freedom to roam, to conquer the road with their newly minted cars, to see what everyone else was doing in America.



Jack joined the US Merchant Marines and the US Navy (twice) before deciding to concentrate on writing.  His companions were fellow writers Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Neal Cassady, and several others.


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Collection of Jack Kerouac Books - by DG Hudson

The books listed below are the ones I've read; some we purchased in San Francisco when we visited the City Lights Bookstore.  Another reference book about the writer is Kerouac, a biography by Ann Charters (Warner Paperback, 1974) if you'd like to read about the different periods in his life.  BEAT Literature, A Monarch Notes booklet, Monarch Press, Inc., 1966, which we found in an antiques shop in Canada, portrays the editorial opinion of the day.


Suggested Books by Kerouac:

Vanity of Duluoz - G.P. Putnam's Sons, Capricorn Books, 1967

On the Road - Penguin Books, 1991, orig 1955

Dharma Bums - 1958, copy MIA

Dr. Sax - Grove Press, Inc., 1959

The Subterraneans - Grove Press, Inc., 1971, orig 1958

Tristessa - McGraw-Hill Book Company 1978, orig 1960

Satori in Paris - Grove Press, Inc., 1966

Mexico City Blues (242 choruses) - Grove Press, Inc., 1959

Book of Dreams - City Lights Books, 1976, orig 1961

Lonesome Traveler - Grove Press, Inc.,1970; orig 1960

Visions of Cody - McGraw-Hill Paperbacks, 1972, orig 1960

Scattered Poems - City Lights Books, Pocket Poets Series, 1971


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More book titles can be found online, the list above is representational and not complete. Behind the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, is Jack Kerouac Alley, formerly Adler Place, a one-way alley transformed thanks to one of the bookstore owners, Lawrence Ferlinghetti.  Jack and many of the beat writers hung out at the bookstore and the nearby bar.

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Have you read any of Jack Kerouac's novels?  If yes, which one(s)?  Do you consider these novels dated?  Does the term Beat Generation mean anything to you?  Have you heard of On the Road, or Dharma Bums? 


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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac General Info, Wikipedia


http://www.citylights.com/  City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco, USA


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac_Alley  General Info about the alley.

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