How great is Jack Kerouac?

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redmosquito10
redmosquito10 Posts: 568
edited October 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
By far my new favorite author. On the Road has been my favorite book since I first read it a few years ago, and I recently read Dharma Bums and am about to start Maggie Cassidy. Talk about writing from the heart, everything he writes is so pure and emotional, it's almost overwhelming. If you ever want to read a life-changing book, read some Kerouac. Any other fans around these parts?
"Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not go to your desire and LAUGH..."
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  • carolinabeerguy
    carolinabeerguy Kernersville, NC Posts: 2,517
    Time for me to read On The Road again. I read it in pieces a couple years ago. I enjoyed it but didn't get the full experience. Thanks for the reminder. I guess I need to pick up some more Kerouac...
    I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me.
  • Hitch-Hiker
    Hitch-Hiker Posts: 2,873
    To be honest, I found on the road to get very boring. I got through about 2 thirds of it, then realised that he'd been repeating himself since page one. Overrated IMO.
    I'll Ride The Wave Where It Takes Me
  • surfanddestroy
    surfanddestroy Posts: 2,786
    He is very great, I can read his books over and over and never get bored.
    Astoria 20/04/06, Leeds 25/08/06, Prague 22/09/06, Wembley 18/06/07,
    Dusseldorf 21/06/07, Manchester 17/08/09, London 18/08/09, LA 06/10/09, LA 07/10/09.

    Ain't gonna be any middle anymore.
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    Hitch-Hiker wrote:
    To be honest, I found on the road to get very boring. I got through about 2 thirds of it, then realised that he'd been repeating himself since page one. Overrated IMO.
    Phew... I'm not the only one! :o

    I have only read on the road so can only talk about that book... but I just didn't like his style. I'm big into 'adventure books' and usually I want to live what they lived... but this one just bored me :o
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • jasonw
    jasonw Posts: 435
    Love him so much.....I think I've read on the road 10 times.....i've also read big sur,maggie cassidy, the dharma bums,the town and the city, the subterraneans, orpheus emerged, lonesome traveler, visions of gerard, dr. sax, some of the dharma and i'm currently reading vanity of dulouz
  • dunkman
    dunkman Posts: 19,646
    On The Road is just one of those books you have to read... it just is.
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    dunkman wrote:
    On The Road is just one of those books you have to read... it just is.
    I disagree... strongly! I don't see any big deal with it whatsoever... and that kinda book is right up my alley... but it was dull!
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • PureandEasy
    PureandEasy Posts: 5,818
    Hitch-Hiker wrote:
    To be honest, I found on the road to get very boring. I got through about 2 thirds of it, then realised that he'd been repeating himself since page one. Overrated IMO.

    I hate to say it but I agree 100%. I bought the book in June and I still can't through it.

    IT'S BORING. I keep picking it back up because everyone says it's this masterpiece

    it's boring.
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • dunkman
    dunkman Posts: 19,646
    Heineken Helen wrote:
    I disagree... strongly! I don't see any big deal with it whatsoever... and that kinda book is right up my alley... but it was dull!

    right up my alley? its not about a ten-pin bowling mugger! ;)

    anyway, its a book that effortlessly evokes 50's america to me... it just places me in that time in the US... and i think it's one of my favourite books for that reason...
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • PureandEasy
    PureandEasy Posts: 5,818
    I actually went here in June

    http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nps.gov/archive/lowe/2002/loweweb/visiting/lowe_photos/images/kerouac.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nps.gov/archive/lowe/2002/loweweb/visiting/lowe_photos/photo_16.htm&h=265&w=410&sz=15&hl=en&start=1&usg=__Ohu5TqDKBsxNOUl6RAfC0yB1Qgs=&tbnid=_yOy0H07kDGh-M:&tbnh=81&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkerouac%2Bpark%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

    and that is what inspired me to get the book

    unfortunately, that's where my inspiration stopped

    a lot of my family is from Lowell, MA too
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    dunkman wrote:
    right up my alley? its not about a ten-pin bowling mugger! ;)

    anyway, its a book that effortlessly evokes 50's america to me... it just places me in that time in the US... and i think it's one of my favourite books for that reason...
    Fair enough! Perhaps I just never wanted to GO to 50's America :p
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • dunkman
    dunkman Posts: 19,646
    Heineken Helen wrote:
    Fair enough! Perhaps I just never wanted to GO to 50's America :p

    oh man, i'd love to have seen that era... i would have been the fucking Fonz :cool:
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    dunkman wrote:
    oh man, i'd love to have seen that era... i would have been the fucking Fonz :cool:
    :D I suppose if that's what you were brought up on :p they should write it on the cover: 'if you wanna go to 50's america, buy this book... if you can't be arsed, don't' :D
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • Hitch-Hiker
    Hitch-Hiker Posts: 2,873
    PureandEasy wrote:
    I hate to say it but I agree 100%. I bought the book in June and I still can't through it.

    IT'S BORING. I keep picking it back up because everyone says it's this masterpiece

    it's boring.
    yup, I could never finish it either. I enjoyed it for a little while...but not that long. Very disaappointing to be honest, considering it's reputation.
    I'll Ride The Wave Where It Takes Me
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    Hitch-Hiker wrote:
    yup, I could never finish it either. I enjoyed it for a little while...but not that long. Very disaappointing to be honest, considering it's reputation.
    I finished it quick enough... but mainly cos it was short and after about 30 pages I just wanted to get it finished (I hate not finishing a book) so I made myself! Although, I found my mind kept wandering off to more interesting things :o and I'd have to start a page again.
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • redmosquito10
    redmosquito10 Posts: 568
    i've heard a lot of people say they struggle to get into his books because of his writing style, so i guess it's understandable that people don't like him. i don't understand it, but it's understandable, probably by someone else. even if you found on the road boring, i would still think it was a valuable piece of literature if only for the huge amount of short sections of what, to me, are perfect writing.
    "Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not go to your desire and LAUGH..."
  • the wolf
    the wolf Posts: 7,027
    im finally reading it now. ( on the road ) i bought it 3 years ago and have never gotten around to it.

    i have to admit, the only reason i bought it is because it was supposedly one of Jim Morrisons favorite books. :)
    Peace, Love.

    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • chime
    chime Posts: 7,839
    I also found it a tough slog and pretty dull ... but like Helen hate to leave a book unfinished so made myself finish it. 9-10 years later can't really remember a thing about it :o

    Has meant I've never tried to read anything else by him.
    So are we strangers now? Like rock and roll and the radio?
  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    dunkman wrote:
    oh man, i'd love to have seen that era... i would have been the fucking Fonz :cool:

    oh please :rolleyes: LMFAO!! you wouldve been potsie and im sure im not the only one that thinks so. :p:D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • Heineken Helen
    Heineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    redmosquito10 wrote:
    i've heard a lot of people say they struggle to get into his books because of his writing style, so i guess it's understandable that people don't like him. i don't understand it, but it's understandable, probably by someone else. even if you found on the road boring, i would still think it was a valuable piece of literature if only for the huge amount of short sections of what, to me, are perfect writing.
    that's cool and I respect that everyone has different opinions... but, like chime, I struggle to remember any of the sections you refer to :o
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you

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