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On the Road

jack kerouac david carradine

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A quintessential novel of America & the Beat Generation On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the N. American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, "a sideburned hero of the snowy West." As "Sal Paradise" & "Dean Moriarty," the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge & experience. Kerouac's love of America, compassion for humanity & sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance. This classic novel of freedom & longing defined what it meant to be "Beat" & has inspired every generation since its initial publication.

0 pages, Audio CD

First published September 5,1957
Literary awards
grammy award, 
Places
denver colorado, san francisco california, los angeles california, new york city new york, new orleans louisiana, california, american west, colorado, louisiana, 

This edition

Format
0 pages, Audio CD
Published
January 1, 1999 by Books on Tape, Inc.
ISBN
9780736659697
ASIN
0736659692
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Jack Kerouac

    Jack Kerouac

    Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) 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 L...

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About the author

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jack kerouac

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Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, 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.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
34(34%)
4 stars
35(35%)
3 stars
30(30%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
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99 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
old-creepy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Um relato duro e alucinado da América na década de 1940.
O livro relata várias viagens de costa a costa nos Estados Unidos. Viagens em camioneta, de carro, à boleia. Relata também as pessoas que se vão conhecendo nessas viagens.
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yaoi_lover_miyu
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This was a 4 star book based on what it represents, the history of the genre, and my enjoyment of travel.

From the get go, this is a stream of consciousness romp through North America. It seems like almost every city in the United States is mentioned at least once as Sal Paradise tells of his travels, the people he meets, those who join him, and his wild vagabond companion Dean Moriarity. I don't feel like the style of this book will appeal to everyone and I can easily see many losing interest part way in. But, if you are a fan of travelling in America, a scholar of literary genres, a hipster, and/or grew up in the 50s travelling the great American highways before interstates, you will find something in here for you.

There is also a lot of jazz influence in the writing. Several times the writing comes to a stop for an onomatopoedic side trip to a jazz club. This was especially interesting as I was listening to the audio.

Dean Moriarity - if nothing else, this book is worth it for Dean. The fact that Dean was based on a real person (Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady) makes his hijinks and destructive personality even more interesting. I am sure that he is a character that is idolized by some who read this, which is a bit scary! (Reminds me of those who idolize Alexander Supertramp from Into the Wild)

An interesting thing that happened while listening to this is twice I thought "this is reminding me of Hemingway" and less than a minute later, Hemingway is mentioned. It really reminded me of The Sun Also Rises and Wkipedia mentions that Kerouac did intentionally use the style of that book for On The Road.

Finally, as mentioned above, Kerouac based this on his life While listed as fiction, up until the final draft, the main characters had real names. The draft the Kerouac used was on long scroll without formatting or paragraph breaks. I mentioned the jazz influence and Kerouac apparently used the scroll in this way to mimic improvisational jazz. Sometimes the scroll can be seen on display - see photo below:



All in all a very interesting book with very interesting characters and a very interesting history.
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rollercoasting
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Μερικά βιβλία τα εκτιμάς στην κατάλληλη ηλικία και αυτό είναι το πιο χαρακτηριστικό. Νομίζω πως αν το είχα διαβάσει στα 18 μου, θα το έβρισκα υπέροχο. Τώρα το βρήκα απλά καλό και μετά από ένα σημείο βαρετό. Το πιο θετικό ήταν ότι μου μπήκε η ιδέα - στόχος ζωής, ένα roadtrip στις Η.Π.Α.
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userr223
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I am tremendously underwhelmed..... How has this novel been lauded so highly? Did we read the same novel? Was this one of those novels that got huge when many readers utilized one sort of substance or another?

I felt like there was zero editing done, and it was mostly just random rambling that skipped around a lot. The coastal tripping was more like a few short stories that were jammed together into one long-winded rambling of a weirdly narcissistic gypsy hobo and the way he judges everything and treats people like crap.

At the end of the day, I don't get the hype. It's not hate, but it's not more than ok.

2 stars for me.
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greatyu
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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On the Road by Jack Kerouac was one of the books that shaped my worldview in my early twenties. As a cornerstone of the Beat Generation, it resonated deeply with my own sense of restlessness and desire for something beyond the conventional. The novel follows Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty on their wild, unpredictable journey across America, fueled by a longing for freedom, raw experiences, and a deeper sense of self. Kerouac’s flowing, spontaneous prose perfectly captures the spirit of this search, making the book more than just a road trip — it’s a rebellion, a quest for authenticity, and a reflection on life’s possibilities.
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PajamaWarrior69
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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MIO DIO CHE PALLE!
Avete presente quando eravate giovani e i vostri amici uscivano e passavano una serata molto divertente e voi non potevate, allora poi vi vedevate tutti insieme e loro cominciavano a raccontare storie e aneddoti della serata e voi, non avendole vissute in prima persona, non le trovavate ne divertente ne interessanti?
Ecco questo libro mi ha dato questa sensazione.

Oltretutto non succede niente di niente, è sempre la stessa storia. Ho dei soldi, chiamo Dean vado a fare il giro dell'America con lui, ci divertiamo ci droghiamo balliamo fino al mattino, Dean si stufa e mi lascia da solo, torno a casa poi ricompare Dean e si ricomincia tutto da capo.
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how2bow
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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(Book 484 from 1001 1001 books) - On the Road, Jack Kerouac

Based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States.

The two main characters of the book are the narrator, Sal Paradise, and his friend Dean Moriarty, much admired for his carefree attitude and sense of adventure, a free-spirited maverick eager to explore all kicks and an inspiration and catalyst for Sal's travels.

The novel contains five parts, three of them describing road trips with Dean Moriarty.

The narrative takes place in the years 1947 to 1950, is full of Americana, and marks a specific era in jazz history, "somewhere between its Charlie Parker Ornithology period and another period that began with Miles Davis."

The novel is largely autobiographical, Sal Paradise being the alter ego of the author and Dean Moriarty standing for Neal Cassady.

عنوانها: «در جاده»؛ «در راه»؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روزبیست و یکم ماه نوامبر سال 2015میلادی

عنوان: در راه؛ نویسنده: جک کرواک؛ مترجم: احسان نوروزی؛ تهران، نشر چشمه، 1394؛ در 388ص؛ شابک 9789643625245؛ چاپ دوم سال1395؛ چاپ هفتم 1399؛ در 392ص؛ موضوع زندگینامه و سرگذشتنامه از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

عنوان: در جاده؛ نویسنده: جک ��رواک؛ مترجم: یاشین آزادبیگی؛ تهران، کوله پشتی، 1394؛ در 540ص؛ شابک 9786008211242؛

کتاب، در سال 1957میلادی، برای نخستین بار، توسط «وایکینگ پرس» منتشر شد؛ عنوانش، جزو یکصد کتاب سده ی بیستم میلادی، به گزینش بسیاری از روزنامه ها بوده، خودزندگی‌نامه‌ نوشت است، و حاصل تجربیات «کرواک»، در دیدار با مردمِان سرتاسر «آمریکا» است؛ روایت سفر «اودیسه­» وار جوانی، به نام «سالواتوره پارادایز (سل، سلی)» است، نویسنده ­ای که پس از جدایی از همسرش، سرخورده، و افسرده، بر آن میشود، تا دلش را به دست جاده­ های «آمریکا» بسپارد، و می­کوشد از آنراه، مفهومی برای زندگی پوچ خویش، بیابد؛ در راه، با جوانی کوچکتر از خویش، به نام «دین موریارتی» آشنا می­شود، و تحت تاثیر دیوانه­ بازی­ها، و مرام آشوب­گرانه ی­ او، قرار می­گیرد؛ «دین موریارتی» نیز، در لابلای آن همه هیاهو، هدفی مهم­تر دارد، و آن، یافتنِ پدر گمشده ی خویش است، که با نام «دین موریارتیِ پیر»، از او یاد می­شود

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 27/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
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Louis_The_Luis
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I really have trouble writing reviews on books I fall in love with or that change my life. It's just, how do you explain your deep inner love towards a book to other people? It's extremely difficult. So this will probably just be a ramble of thoughts.

At the time I picked up On the Road, I had been having an extreme desire to travel and see the world. As I got further and further into the story, the desire became a need, you know that needy, heart-fluttery feeling you get under your chest? I was experiencing that from start to finish. I didn't read this book in one sitting though, because this feeling kept arising I could only handle it in short bursts, so I settled for four chapters a day.

I LOVED the character of Dean Moriarty, not in the "I have a crush on a fictional character" way, but in the way that I could relate him back to people in my own life. The symbolism at the end of the book that relates back to the most famous quote in this book, broke my heart "the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." Dean IS this quote, but all roman candles burn out and so did Dean at the very end. All he was at the end was a sputtering, but beautiful roman candle. When I came to this realisation in the last few pages, I began to cry for him. It reminded me a bit of Mcmurphy in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Such a big, wild, vibrant man and then to have that stripped of him, it is heartbreaking.

I highly recommend this to people who want to see the world and have the sudden desire to do so. Five out of five stars.

This story changed my life. I am more determined to see the world than ever, my savings are growing and so is my passion for the world.
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