J.K. is a well known author, one of the so called pioneers of the Hippie Generation. He was born in 1922 in Masachusetts as child of frankocanadian parents. After a short time at the Columbia University he had to serve during WW2 at the trade marine. After that he spent his time by hitchiking and jobing through the States and Mexico. In this time he wrote down his adventures and experiences. J.K. writing style is very straight, mind boggling and as fast as the times were changing in those days. He wrote about free life, love, drugs and excesses as well as about philosophy and religion, about truelly believing in something. His books seem to be mostly autobiographic I think. Reading them in timely order shows his personality changing from a wild & sentimental boy to a rather experienced man.
Some of my favorite Kerouac books are:
- On the road
- Dharma Bums
- The Subterraneans
Reading Kerouac's books well influenced me when I was 20 or so, made me hitchhiking from my home village to Paris after Christmas 1996.