The writer Jack Kerouac was called the "king of the beatniks." It was he who invented and introduced the term "beat-generation" into circulation. His novels were not always favorably received by critics, but they were invariably popular with readers. After his death, Jack Kerouac received the status of a cult figure, and his works became classics of English-language prose.
Childhood and stormy youth of Kerouac
Jack Kerouac was born on March 12, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Jack's father, Leo-Alcid Kerouac, was the owner of a local print shop and publisher of The Spotlight newspaper.
Already at the age of four, Jack experienced a great tragedy - his nine-year-old brother Gerard died. Subsequently, the writer dedicated one of his books to him.
Little Jack began to study English only at the age of six, before that he knew only the Quebec dialect of French, which his parents spoke at home.
In high school, Kerouac, thanks to his achievements in American football, became the star of his town and received an athletic scholarship from Columbia University in New York - it seemed that he was waiting for a brilliant successful career. But due to a conflict with his coach, Jack was forced to leave the school in 1942. After that, Kerouac got a job on a merchant ship, and then became a sailor in the Navy. But he did not have to take part in real hostilities: the young man was diagnosed with a psychiatric diagnosis and sent home.
In 1944, Kerouac appeared at Columbia University to recover and continue his education. But soon he had serious problems - he almost went to jail. Kerouac's friend Lucien Carr killed a man in a drunken brawl, and the future writer helped him hide the evidence … The already arrested Jack was saved by the fact that he was bailed on time for him - he was released.
First published works
In the second half of the forties, Kerouac wrote the novel "Town and City". It was published in 1950, and in general does not resemble Kerouac's further work - there is no his signature improvisational style.
The next novel, On the Road, which, in fact, made Kerouac famous, was published only seven years later by Viking Press. This work was created in three weeks, it tells about crazy travels in the USA and Mexico of two friends. The following year, the novel Dharma Tramps was published, which can be considered a kind of continuation of the book On the Road. However, here the emphasis is more on the spiritual quest of the protagonist, on the search for enlightenment. In any case, both of these novels can be called autobiographical: they describe real facts from the biography of Kerouac. In addition, in the characters, despite the fictitious names, real people are recognized.
In the next two years, as many as seven works of the "king of the beatniks" were published, which were written by him earlier, during the fifties. Among them are the touching love story "Tristessa", the novels "Visions of Cody" and "Maggie Cassidy", the poem "Blues of Mexico" and so on.
"King of the Beats" in the last years of his life
In the sixties, the author continues to write and publish, but he will not be able to repeat the success of On the Road. Among the significant works of this time are the novels "Visions of Gerard", "Big Sur", "Angels of Desolation", "Satori in Paris". In "Satori in Paris" you can already discern some disappointment in the beatnik lifestyle, loneliness and sadness.
In 1966, Kerouac married for the third time (the first two marriages were very short, several months each). Stella Sampas becomes his wife. At first, the newlyweds lived in Lowell, native to Kerouac, and then moved to St. Petersburg (Florida).
In this city, Kerouac, deeply addicted to alcohol, found his death. He died in October 1969 from gastric hemorrhage, most likely caused by cirrhosis of the liver. However, there is an alternative version: Kerouac was allegedly inflicted with cuts in the abdomen in a drunken brawl at a local bar.
