Here, in what has become a classic of its kind since its publication in 1978, is the fascinating story of Jack Kerouac, "King of the Beats" and American literary legend, recorded through the voices of his friends and lovers. Authors Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee retraced Kerouac's life at home and on the road and talked with the prophets, musicians, poets, socialites, and working people who knew Jack Kerouac. Some are famous like Allen Ginsberg, Gore Vidal, William Burroughs, Gary Snyder, among others; and some are not like Jack's boyhood buddies, his lovers, and his barroom companions. All, however, have contributed to a remarkably vibrant, riveting portrait of a life. We see Jack at Columbia University and on the scene of Greenwich Village; speeding across the tarmac of America with Neal Cassidy ("Dan Moriarty" in Kerouac's classic novel, On the Road); at home with his possessive mother; in California, drinking wine and talking Buddhism; and finally, in Florida, where his life ends tragically at forty-seven years old. Jack's Book, like Kerouac's novels, makes a unique contribution to our understanding of a man and a generation that shaped the dreams and visions of those who followed.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"An essential text—it gives a far more authentic and balanced picture of Jack than any existing biography." -- Joyce Johnson, author of Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir
About the Author
Barry Gifford’s is a literary lion whose novels have been translated into twenty-five languages and who's been the recipient of awards from PEN, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Library Association, and the Writers Guild of America. His novel "Wild at Heart" was turned into a David Lynch film, and he co-wrote the screenplays for "Lost Highway" (1997) and "City of Ghosts" (2003). His more recent books, "Wyoming" and "The Phantom Father" were named the "Los Angeles Times" Novel of the Year and a "New York Times" notable Book of the Year, respectively. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Lawrence Lee was a Peabody Award-winning San Francisco journalist who also co-wrote with Gifford the brilliant and brilliantly received "Saroyan: A Biography." He died in 1990.
Lawrence Lee was a Peabody Award-winning San Francisco journalist who also co-wrote with Gifford the brilliant and brilliantly received "Saroyan: A Biography." He died in 1990.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential to understanding Jack,
By Zelie Nic (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jack's Book: An Oral Biography Of Jack Kerouac (Paperback)
I love oral histories, and I Kerouac's alright. Its neat that the people responsible for this book collected and intereviewed some of Jack's friends from before he became famous. I was also unaware of his firt's marriages annulment and his involvment in hiding a body. There's a lot of great snippets... but there's also a lot of boring windbags blowing in this book too.
Still, its worth every penny.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beat a path to this book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack's Book: An Oral Biography Of Jack Kerouac (Paperback)
Chock to bursting with recollections from Kerouac's intimates, this page-turner will be read in two or three sittings. These recollections are interspersed among the authors' own discoveries and conclusions. Not as exhaustive as "Memory Babe," this book is more for the person just getting into Kerouac's work and life. In the back of this book are lists of what has become of these acquaintances of Kerouac's and what their aliases were in his books, information which will become dearer to you as you delve deeper into Jack's Duluoz Legend. All in all, one terrific book worth anyone's time and money.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An oral intrigue into Kerouac's and the Beats,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack's Book: An Oral Biography Of Jack Kerouac (Paperback)
Gifford and Lee, seemingly well read about the Beats and Keoruac, are second only to Ann Charter's biographical work on Kerouac. The real sense of the'50's, the mentality, the hazards, and the activities of Burrows, Ginsberg,Jack and the boys are given a very thorough and entertaining once over. The scholarly merit isn't here, but the titilation and interesting skinny is.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
On May 30, 1936, in a letter to Arnold Zweig, Sigmund Freud wrote: "To be a biographer, you must tie yourself up in lies, concealments, hypocrisies, false colorings, and even in hiding a lack of understanding, for biographical truth is not to be had, and if it were to be had, we could not use it. . . . truth is not feasible, mankind doesn't deserve it. . . ." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
third favorite, beat generation Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, San Francisco, Allen Ginsberg, Big Sur, Doctor Sax, Jack Kerouac, John Clellon Holmes, Mexico City, The Subterraneans, Neal Cassady, Horace Mann, Lucien Carr, Hal Chase, Carolyn Cassady, Long Island, Luanne Henderson, Thomas Wolfe, Dean Moriarty, Gregory Corso, Ozone Park, The Dharma Bums, Visions of Cody, Malcolm Cowley, Vanity of Duluoz, Gary Snyder New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
On May 30, 1936, in a letter to Arnold Zweig, Sigmund Freud wrote: "To be a biographer, you must tie yourself up in lies, concealments, hypocrisies, false colorings, and even in hiding a lack of understanding, for biographical truth is not to be had, and if it were to be had, we could not use it. . . . truth is not feasible, mankind doesn't deserve it. . . ." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
third favorite, beat generation Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, San Francisco, Allen Ginsberg, Big Sur, Doctor Sax, Jack Kerouac, John Clellon Holmes, Mexico City, The Subterraneans, Neal Cassady, Horace Mann, Lucien Carr, Hal Chase, Carolyn Cassady, Long Island, Luanne Henderson, Thomas Wolfe, Dean Moriarty, Gregory Corso, Ozone Park, The Dharma Bums, Visions of Cody, Malcolm Cowley, Vanity of Duluoz, Gary Snyder New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 82
books:
See all 82 books this book cites
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac on 45 pages
- The Town and the City by Jack Kerouac on 23 pages
- Dr. Sax by Jack Kerouac on 15 pages
- Beat Generation by Jack Kerouac on 12 pages
- Big Sur by Jack Kerouac on 12 pages
See all 82 books this book cites
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