Synopses & Reviews
Jack Kerouac is best known through the image he put forth in his autobiographical novels. Yet it is only his prolific journals, in which he set down the raw material of his life and thinking, that reveal to us the real Kerouac his true, honest, deep, private, philosophical self.
In Windblown World, distinguished Americanist Douglas Brinkley has gathered a selection of journal entries from the most pivotal period of Kerouac's life, 1947-1954. Here is Kerouac as a hungry young writer finishing his first novel, The Town and City, while forging crucial friendships with Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady.
Truly a self-portrait of the artist as a young man, these journals show a sensitive soul charting his own progress as a writer and responding to his literary forebears. Finally and perhaps most appealing to Kerouac's legion of fans, the journals tell of the events that would eventually be immortalized in On the Road, as Kerouac narrates two trips across the United States and Mexico and slowly cultivates his idea for a jazz novel. This unique and indispensable volume is sure to garner major critical attention and become an integral element of the Beat oeuvre.
Review
"[T]he entries tell a story of self-invention, perseverance and breakthrough that should help rescue Kerouac from the cultists and secure his admission to the mainstream hall of fame, where he deserves to rest." Walter Kirn, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Brinkley's intelligent choices allow us to see both the familiar Kerouac and a mysterious stranger as well." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In Windblown World, distinguished Americanist Brinkley has gathered a selection of journal entries from the most pivotal period of Kerouac's life, 1947-1954 a self-portrait of the artist as a young man.
Synopsis
Jack Kerouac is best known through the image he put forth in his autobiographical novels. Yet it is only his private journals, in which he set down the raw material of his life and thinking, that reveal to us the real Kerouac. In Windblown World, distinguished Americanist Douglas Brinkley has gathered a selection of journal entries from the most pivotal period of Kerouacandrsquo;s life, 1947 to 1954. Here is Kerouac as a hungry young writer finishing his first novel while forging crucial friendships with Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady. Truly a self-portrait of the artist as a young man, this unique and indispensable volume is sure to become an integral element of the Beat oeuvre.
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.