Kerouac?

[WickedGTR]

That 'on the road' was written by feeding a roll of paper into a typewriter- as one long continious page! (I saw it in a musem once)...

One of the most famous reviews said 'it's not writing, it's typing'.

I liked the book and have read it several times. Maybe not the greatest piece of literature, but when you look at it in the context of when it was done, it means more. If you look at the Elvis Sun records sides in today's context it sounds strange and it's hard to see what the fuss is about. But both were revolutionary in the context of their time.

It's a good reminder (to me) that the fringe 'underground' has always been out there, throughout history. There were probably 'beatniks' in ancient Rome...

[Skully]

One of the most famous reviews said 'it's not writing, it's typing'.

Yes. That was Truman Capote's famous appraisal of "On The Road."

[eryque]

I just remembered that the semi-famous line about Kerouac's rambling prose being compared to a V-8 chevy running wide open on the highway is found on the book jacket for the Portable Beat Reader. I had it confused and thought Amiri Baraka wrote it, but the only place I can find that line is on the book jacket.

The best line of praise for Kerouac I've ever read, and it's unattributable to anyone but the Penguin Press marketing department.

[DlxNashvilleLuvr]

Originally Posted by Skully

I had a similar experience trying to read Twain's essays recently. The culture he was writing about and the language he used were so far removed from the present day, it was difficult for me to enjoy the pieces.

I've had just the opposite experience. Did you take a look at "Cornpone Opinions?" He may reference hoop skirts instead of, eh, whatever women are wearing today, but human nature has not changed.

[jpkusa]

I concur with Truman Capote on Kerouac: "That's not writing, it's typing."

[Skully]

I've had just the opposite experience. Did you take a look at "Cornpone Opinions?" He may reference hoop skirts instead of, eh, whatever women are wearing today, but human nature has not changed.

Sadly, I never got that far. I lost interest and stopped reading.

[Charlie Bernstein]

castenedas is a little weird because they always put him in nonfiction, but that's not his fault.

slauson slim beat me to it: been down so long it looks like up to me is one of the coolest, but it's post-beat, early hippie.

another great post-beat classic is v. by thomas pynchon. (i noticed a vineland rec above. also cool.)

a beat period writer who's much more plot driven than kerouac was nelson algren. depressing, but quite the writer.

no one's mentioned burroughs - naked lunch is the one beat classic i can't get three pages into.

as for jack: on the road isn't so much a novel as a portait - of a time and place: post-korean war america) - and of a person: neal cassady.

the dead actually put out three songs about cassady, too: "the other one," "he's gone," and (natch) "cassady." cool dude.

and as for electric koolaid - wolfe completely left cassady out of the story - figure that one out!

but for some real fun, read minor characters. it's the jack's girlfriend, joyce johnson, wrote about him years later, and it blows old jack wide open.

see you later - now i gotta go find me some fante...

ps - mark n: right on! shoulda known you were a brother deadhead. i'll be emailing you soon.

[Skully]

castenedas is a little weird because they always put him in nonfiction, but that's not his fault.

Given that Castaneda claimed that the Don Juan stories were true, it is very much his fault.