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Jack Kerouac : King of the Beats A Portrait
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Review
Barry Miles, noted for Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, also wrote biographies of Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. This hatchet job on Kerouac lacks what makes his McCartney book great--total access to his subject--and it won't replace the more eloquent bios Kerouac and Memory Babe. But it is enriched by Miles's interviews with those in a position to debunk the legend. Was Kerouac a sweet saint, as his burgeoning congregation believes? "He cared more for his cat than for his own daughter," writes Miles, and the rich Kerouac did let his kid become a 13-year-old junkie prostitute. Was he a deep Buddhist? Buddhist poet Philip Whalen says Jack didn't quite get it. Jack couldn't drive, either--it was the idea he liked. Did he write On the Road in a burst of unedited inspiration on a 120-foot roll of paper? No, he revised the text. The last four feet of the scroll were chewed up by the dog belonging to Lucien Carr (the father of Caleb Carr, author of The Alienist), but the dog may have actually accomplished some helpful editing, as did Malcolm Cowley. The book's best line (about "the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk") was composed months later.
Kerouac was often monstrous, even before he became a KKK cross-burning kook locked in a bizarre relationship with his bigoted, alcoholic mother. For what's good about Kerouac, consult more sympathetic scholars. The best of him is in his own books. --Tim Appelo
About the Author
Barry Miles is the author of many seminal books on popular culture, including The Beatles: A Diary, The British Invasion, Charles Bukowski, Hippie, the official biography Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, Peace: 50 Years of Protest, and Zappa: A Biography. In the 1960s he was co-owner of the Indica Gallery, the countercultural art gallery where John Lennon and Yoko Ono first met.
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- PublisherVirgin Books
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 1852276088
- ISBN 13 9781852276089
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages352
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Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats - A Portrait
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Ebury Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 1998
ISBN 10: 1852276088
ISBN 13: 9781852276089
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. A biography of the influential American "beatnik" novelist, charting both his life and legacy. Miles considers the continuing appeal of Kerouac, his iconic status, the cult of "On the Road", and the influence he has had on popular culture. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001457020
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Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats - A Portrait
Published by
Ebury Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 1998
ISBN 10: 1852276088
ISBN 13: 9781852276089
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Paperback
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Paperback. Condition: Good. A biography of the influential American beatnik novelist, charting both his life and legacy. Miles considers the continuing appeal of Kerouac, his iconic status, the cult of On the Road, and the influence he has had on popular culture. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR004923505
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Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats - A Portrait
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Jack Kerouac, King Of The Beats: A Portrait
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Jack Kerouac, King of The Beats: A Portrait, Miles, Barry. Published by Virgin, London, 1998. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall., xviii, 332p., preface, postscript, notes, bibliography, index. Black boards with gilt spine titles. Contents in fine condition without markings, tears or folds. Boards have very light scuffing; unclipped dustjacket has ruffling to edges and otherwise fine. Seller Inventory # 003559
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Jack Kerouac King of the Beats / A Portrait (SIGNED)
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. States "First Published in Great Britain by Virgin Publishing Ltd." Signed by the author (name only) to the title page. Not price clipped; original L16.99 price showing. 332 pp. including Index. Reduced from $67. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 010475
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