Jack Kerouac From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Jack Kerouac Jack Kerouac by Tom Palumbo circa 1956 Jack Kerouac by Tom Palumbo circa 1956 BornJean-Louis Kérouac March 12, 1922 Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. DiedOctober 21, 1969 (aged 47) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. Occupation Poetnovelist Alma materColumbia University Period1942–1969 Literary movementBeatFranco American Notable worksOn the Road The Dharma Bums Big Sur Desolation Angels SpouseEdie Parker (m. 1944; div. 1948) Joan Haverty (m. 1950; div. 1951) Stella Sampas (m. 1966) ChildrenJan Kerouac Signature Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac[1] (/kruæk/;[2] March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), ˈ ɛknown as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet[3] of French Canadian ancestry,[4][5] who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.[6] Raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts, Kerouac “learned English at age six and spoke with a marked accent into his late teens.”[7] During World War II, he served in the United States Merchant Marine; he completed his first novel at the time, which was published over 40 years after his death. His first published book was The Town and the City, and he achieved widespread fame and notoriety with his second, On the Road, in 1957. It made him a beat icon, who published 12 more novels during his life and numerous poetry volumes. Kerouac is recognized for his style of 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.[8] He has a lasting legacy, greatly influencing many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Doors. In 1969, at age 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. Contents 1Biography 1.1Early life and adolescence 1.2Early adulthood
1.3Early career: 1950–1957 1.4Later career: 1957–1969 1.5Death 2Style 2.1Influences 3Legacy 4Works 4.1Poetry 4.2Posthumous editions 5Discography 5.1Studio albums 5.2Compilation albums 6References 6.1Notes 6.2Sources 7Further reading 8External links Biography Early life and adolescence Jack Kerouac's birthplace, 9 Lupine Road, 2nd floor, West Centralville, Lowell, Massachusetts Jack Kerouac was born on March 12, 1922, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to French Canadian parents, Léo-Alcide Kéroack (1889–1946) and Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque (1895– 1973).[9] There is some confusion surrounding his name, partly because of variations on the spelling of Kerouac, and because of Kerouac's own statement of his name as Jean- Louis Lebris de Kerouac. His reason for that statement seems to be linked to an old family legend that the Kerouacs had descended from Baron François Louis Alexandre Lebris de Kerouac. Kerouac's baptism certificate lists his name simply as Jean Louis Kirouac, the most common spelling of the name in Quebec.[10] Research has shown that Kerouac's roots were indeed in Brittany, and he was descended from a middle-class merchant colonist, Urbain-François Le Bihan, Sieur de Kervoac, whose sons married French Canadians.[11][12] Kerouac's father Leo had been born into a family of potato farmers in the village of Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Jack also had various stories on the
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