Description: Here on offer is a nice copy of Jack Kerouac's Big Sur, his 10th novel, and what many consider to be his most autobiographical work, written during a darker period of his life when he was struggling with alcoholism. It is a 1st American trade edition, 1st printing of the book, published by Farrar, Straus & Cudahy in 1962. The dustjacket is protected from further wear by a Mylar sleeve. ******************************************************************************************************************* "Coming down from his carefree youth and unwanted fame, Jack Kerouac undertakes a mature confrontation of some of his most troubling emotional issues: a burgeoning problem with alcoholism, addiction, fear, and insecurity. He dutifully records his ever-changing states of consciousness, which culminate in a powerful religious experience. Big Sur was written some time after Jack Kerouac's best-known works, following a visit to northern California and the first feelings of midlife crisis. Kerouac stayed for several weeks in a cabin in Big Sur, California, and with friends in San Francisco. Upon returning home, he wrote this account in a two-week period." ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ancestry, Kerouac was raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts. He "learned English at age six and spoke with a marked accent into his late teens." During World War II, he served in the United States Merchant Marine; he completed his first novel at the time, which was published more than 40 years after his death. His first published book was The Town and the City (1950), and he achieved widespread fame and notoriety with his second, On the Road, in 1957. It made him a beat icon, and he went on to publish 12 more novels and numerous poetry volumes. Kerouac is recognized for his style of stream of consciousness spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as his Catholic spirituality, jazz, travel, promiscuity, life in New York City, Buddhism, drugs, and poverty. He became an underground celebrity and, with other Beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements. He has a lasting legacy, greatly influencing many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jerry Garcia and the Doors. In 1969, at the age of 47, Kerouac died from an abdominal hemorrhage caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. Since then, his literary prestige has grown, and several previously unseen works have been published. The above text was taken from, respectively, McGraw-Hill (via Google Books) and Wikipedia. [Kerouac, Jack. Big Sur. United States: McGraw-Hill, 1981.]
Price: 317.95 USD
Location: College Station, Texas
End Time: 2024-12-08T12:54:36.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10.78 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Author: Jack Kerouac
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
Topic: Literature, Modern
Subject: Literature & Fiction
Original/Facsimile: Original
