Satori in Paris (Harper Perennial Modern Classc) [Paperback]

Jack Kerouac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1991 | Series: Harper Perennial Modern Classc

Kerouac's classic tale of Buddhist Enlightenment, on the road in Paris! In 'Satori in Paris' Jack Kerouac, a footloose American of French-Canadian parentage, voyages to France to seek the origins of his surname! But it is also, perhaps more than any of his other novels, a book about Kerouac's lifelong love affair with Eastern mysticism. While conversing with a cab driver he experiences, all of a sudden, a 'satori' -- the Japanese term for a 'sudden awakening'; the Enlightenment of Zen Buddhism. Or as Kerouac calls it, 'a kick in the eye!'

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Kerouac was born in 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts, the youngest of three children in a French-Canadian family. Having left college, he joined the merchant marines and began the restless wanderings that were to continue for the greater part of his life. His first novel, The Town and the City, was published in 1950. On the Road, although written in 1951 (in a few hectic days on a scroll of newsprint), was not published until 1957 -- it made him one of the most controversial and best-known writers of his time. Publication of his many other books, among them The Subterraneans, Doctor Sax and Desolation Angels, followed. Jack Kerouac died in St. Petersburg, Florida at the age of forty-seven.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Flamingo (September 12, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0586091181
• ISBN-13: 978-0586091180
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,339,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), the central figure of the Beat Generation, was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1922 and died in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1969. Among his many novels are On the Road, The Dharma Bums, Big Sur, and Visions of Cody.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Kerouac, but worth the trip, February 1, 2011

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dudesimon "dudesimon" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Satori In Paris (Mass Market Paperback)

This is only mediocre Kerouac, but that's still better than most writers' best stuff. Kerouac's alter-ego wanders around France looking for his roots, but finding only bars and sadness. It's fairly depressing, but extremely short, and contains enough literary gems and insight into the declining state of Kerouac's powers to make it a worthwhile read. But if you are new to Kerouac, read On the Road, Dharma Bums, Desolation Angels, Maggie Cassidy, etc. first.