50 Years of Being On The Road

"And just for a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach, which was the complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows, and wonderment in the bleakness of the mortal realm, and the sensation of death kicking at my heels to move on, with a phantom dogging its on heels, and myself hurrying to a plank where all the angels dove off and flew into the holy void of uncreated emptiness, the potent and inconceivable radiances shining in the bright Mind Essence, innumerable lotus-lands falling open in the magic mothswarm of heaven.”

-Jack Kerouac, from On The Road

September 5th marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel On The Road. In preparation for this historic occasion I reread the book (probably my 6th time), took notes, and planned on writing a long blog detailing my analysis and love of Mr. Kerouac’s work.

Didn’t happen.

Whenever I sat down to write something about On The Road it just came off as too technical . . . too stiff. The book is a celebration of spontaneity- prose as well as life. It is something to be read and experienced . . . and breaking down what makes it great is like taking a surgeon’s knife to a joke. You might get a better understanding of why it was funny, but in doing so you would never make anybody laugh.

The story of On The Road is the story of Jack Kerouac. Here was a college football star who gave up his scholarship to travel the world, define his generation, and write book upon book with hardly a penny and with little encouragement by his peers. Kerouac lived and wrote On The Road while he was in his vibrant twenties, but could not get it published until his mid 30’s . . . when he had become disillusioned with the world and had begun his decent into alcoholism. He was prolific and brilliant in obscurity, but unproductive and drunk in fame.

Kerouac’s life is much more complicated than that, and if you want to get a better understanding of the man and his work I highly recommend reading not only On The Road, but also:

The Dharma Bums
Desolation Angels (my favorite Kerouac book)
Big Sur
Kerouac: Selected Letters Volume 1 & 2
Ann Charter’s Kerouac: A Biography

Rest in peace, Jack. Tonight I will drink a glass of sweet port wine (your favorite) and think of the two times I drove across country. I will not only think of that unending stretch of road, but of the interesting towns, buildings, and people I met during those thousands of miles. But most importantly I will conjure up how it feels when you are on the move, ready to experience something new, and can only believe that wherever you are going is better than where you have been.