TiJean loved brunettes : my favorite Jack Kerouac books

Submitted by cramoukji on Thu, 02/03/2005 - 11:34
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  1. ON THE ROAD Quite obviously as this matricial piece of litterature shows signs of everything "beatnik" that Kerouac would explore and develop in later novels
  2. THE SUBTERRANEANS Proved that Kerouac was not only great at spontaneaous prose but was a great portraitist of characters and matters of the heart
  3. BIG SUR Yes, this has to be the darkest novel of the bunch but the sheer energy of the last pages
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    especially when the Cross of the Christ appears to the author in a hallucinogenic state
    makes it a classic
  4. VANITY OF DULUOZ Offers a much more straightforward autobiographical content than other novels from the "Legend of Duluoz" cycle and is therefore a must read
  5. DOCTOR SAX Is much more enjoyable for french-speaking readers who get to laugh at all the dialogue in french canadian and the plot
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    part childhood memories part daydreams about demons and angels
    does not make it an easy read
  6. THE DHARMA BUMS Unmissable for the picture of San Francisco in the 50's and the real persons hidden behind the characters but suffers from the author's newfound obsession for zen buddhism
  7. DESOLATION ANGELS Revisits events from other novels to present them in a more historically accurate way but also contains new material
  8. TRISTESSA This love story is sadder than the one in Subterraneans and the whole atmosphere is more depressed than in Big Sur and
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    there is no ray of hope at the end
  9. LONESOME TRAVELER Mostly revisits events already exposed in the Dharma Bums but also explores the author's
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    experiences as a teenager and young man as a worker for the californian railroad companies
  10. SATORI IN PARIS A very low-key ending to a very tumultuous life and career
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    it is heartwarming to know that through heartbreak and alcoholism Kerouac was given the right to die happy in the purest form of happiness
  11. link to the official bibliography
Author Comments: 

A few quotes from Kerouac himself:
"Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic-stricken."
“All things are like visions beyond the reach of the human mind.”
“You can’t have birth without existence and you can’t have death without birth.”
"...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..."
“My aunt once said the world would never find peace until men fell at their women’s feet and asked for forgiveness.”
“I’d rather be thin than famous.”
“I’m not a beatnik, I’m a Catholic.”