Windblown World: The Journals of Jack Kerouac 1947-1954 - Hardcover

Jack Kerouac

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670033413 ISBN 13: 9780670033416

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2004

Synopsis

Excerpts and passages from the personal diaries of the great Beat writer chronicle a pivotal era in Kerouac's life, describing the creation of his first novel, The Town and City; his special friendships with Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady; and his own take on the events described in On the Road. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1922 and died in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1969. He is the author of the Beat classic On the Road and his other works include The Dharma Bums and Big Sur.
Douglas Brinkley is professor of history and director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans. He is the award-winning author of twelve books, including, most recently, Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War.

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School–These entries cover Kerouac's mid-20s, when he was completing his first novel, The Town and the City, and beginning what were to become Dr. Sax and On the Road. Much of the book is devoted to issues of writing–character, plot, style–and a daily obsession with word count that any writer will appreciate. Discussions of favorite authors like Céline, Twain, and Dostoyevsky highlight some influences, and Kerouac shows his early iconoclastic tendencies through an almost rampant hatred of academics and the literary establishment. Anecdotes about partying with Allen Ginsburg and William S. Burroughs, the New York jazz world, and finding a girlfriend are peppered throughout. The final section is devoted to the cross-country trip made with Neal Cassady and others that inspired On the Road. These narratives of the landscapes of the U.S. and Mexico are hauntingly beautiful and contain hints of the quasi-spontaneous style that made both Kerouac and the Beat movement so different and so popular. The introduction, notations, and index are invaluable to those less familiar with the time period or Kerouac's life. But the real charm of this title is in his words; seeing this young, brilliant author develop and continually push himself toward greatness is gripping and astonishing. The reality of Kerouac proves far more moving and interesting than the bad-boy image.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0670033413
• ISBN 13: 9780670033416
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432
• Editor: Douglas Brinkley