Big Sur (novel)

Last updated
Big Sur
BigSur.jpg
First edition cover
Author Jack Kerouac
LanguageEnglish
Series Duluoz Legend
Genre Beat, stream of consciousness
Publisher Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
Publication date
September 11, 1962
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages256
ISBN 0-14-016812-5
OCLC 26089403
813/.54 20
LC Class PS3521.E735 B5 1992
Preceded by Lonesome Traveler
(1960) 
Followed by Visions of Gerard
(1963) 

Big Sur is a 1962 novel by Jack Kerouac, written in the fall of 1961 over a ten-day period, with Kerouac typewriting onto a teletype roll. [1] It recounts the events surrounding Kerouac's (here known by the name of his fictional alter-ego Jack Duluoz) three brief sojourns to a cabin in Bixby Canyon, Big Sur, California, owned by Kerouac's friend and Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti; at the same time dealing with his increased drinking and declining mental health. It is Kerouac’s first novel to be fully written following his success in the late 1950s, and thus departs from his previous fictionalized autobiographical series in that the character Duluoz is shown as a popular, published author; most of Kerouac's previous novels instead portray him as a bohemian traveller.

Contents

Synopsis

The novel depicts Jack Duluoz's mental and physical deterioration in the late 1950s. Despite having found mainstream success with his work, Duluoz is unable to cope with a suddenly demanding public, and is battling advanced alcoholism. He seeks respite first in solitude in the cabin at Big Sur, on the California coast, and later in a relationship with Billie, the mistress of his long-time friend Cody Pomeray (Neal Cassady). Duluoz finds respite in the Big Sur wilderness, but is driven by loneliness to return to the city, and resumes drinking heavily.

Across Duluoz's subsequent trips to Big Sur and interleaved lifestyle in San Francisco, he drunkenly embarrasses Cody by introducing Billie to Cody's wife, and finds himself unable to emotionally provide for the increasingly demanding Billie (who proves to be mentally unstable herself) and to integrate into suburban life. On Duluoz’s third and final trip to Big Sur, he brings friends Dave Wain and Româno Schwartz (Lew Welch and Lenore Kandel), along with Billie's son Elliot. The peaceful trip soon goes afoul when Duluoz’s inner turmoil culminates in him having several panic attacks. The group leaves the following day.

An addendum to the book contains a free verse poem by Kerouac, "Sea: Sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur", written from the perspective of the Pacific Ocean.

Character key

Kerouac often based his fictional characters on his friends and family. [2] [3]

"Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work." [4]

Real-life person [5] Character name
Jack Kerouac Jack Duluoz
Neal Cassady Cody Pomeray
Carolyn Cassady Evelyn
Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lorenzo Monsanto
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Garden
Lenore Kandel Româna Swartz
Robert LaVigneRobert Browning
Michael McClure Pat McLear
Jackie Gibson MercerWillamine "Billie" Dabney
Albert Saijo George Baso
Gary Snyder Jarry Wagner
Lew Welch Dave Wain
Philip Whalen Ben Fagan
Victor Wong [6] Arthur Ma
Lucien Carr Julien

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the novel, directed by Michael Polish, was released in 2013. [7] [8] [9] The cast includes Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac, Josh Lucas as Neal Cassady, Radha Mitchell as Carolyn Cassady, Henry Thomas as Whalen, Anthony Edwards as Ferlinghetti, Balthazar Getty as McClure, Patrick Fischler as Welch, and Stana Katic as Kandel. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kerouac</span> American writer (1922–1969)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beat Generation</span> Literary movement

The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generationers in the 1950s, better known as Beatniks. The central elements of Beat culture are the rejection of standard narrative values, making a spiritual quest, the exploration of American and Eastern religions, the rejection of economic materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neal Cassady</span> American writer (1926–1968)

Neal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s.

<i>On the Road</i> 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac

On the Road is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonists living life against a backdrop of jazz, poetry, and drug use. The novel is a roman à clef, with many key figures of the Beat movement, such as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Neal Cassady represented by characters in the book, including Kerouac, himself, as the narrator, Sal Paradise.

<i>Visions of Cody</i> 1972 novel by Jack Kerouac

Visions of Cody is an experimental novel by Jack Kerouac. It was written in 1951–1952, and though not published in its entirety until 1972, it had by then achieved an underground reputation. Since its first printing, Visions of Cody has been published with an introduction by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg titled "The Visions of the Great Rememberer."

<i>Vanity of Duluoz</i> 1968 semi-autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac

Vanity of Duluoz: An Adventurous Education, 1935–46 is a 1968 semi-autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac. The book describes the adventures of Kerouac's alter ego, Jack Duluoz, covering the period of his life between 1935 and 1946. The book includes reminiscences of the author's high school experiences in Lowell, Massachusetts, his education at Columbia University, and his subsequent naval service during World War II. It culminates with the beginnings of the beat movement. It was Kerouac's last work published during his life. The tone of the book has been noted for its stark contrast to On the Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lew Welch</span> American poet (1926–1971)

Lewis Barrett Welch Jr. was an American poet associated with the Beat generation literary movement.

<i>The Subterraneans</i> 1958 novel by Jack Kerouac

The Subterraneans is a 1958 novella by the Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. It is a semi-fictional account of his short romance with Alene Lee (1931–1991), an African-American woman, in Greenwich Village, New York. It was the first work of Kerouac’s to be released following the success of On the Road. The Subterraneans and its following novel,The Dharma Bums, both proved to be popular when released in 1958, and are now seen as important works of the Beat Literature. A Hollywood film adaptation would be released in 1960.

<i>Desolation Angels</i> (novel) 1965 novel by Jack Kerouac

Desolation Angels is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac, which makes up part of his Duluoz Legend. It was published in 1965, but was written years earlier, around the time On the Road was in the process of publication. The events described in the novel take place from 1956-1957. Much of the psychological struggle which the novel's protagonist, Jack Duluoz, undergoes in the novel reflects Kerouac's own increasing disenchantment with the Buddhist philosophy. Throughout the novel, Kerouac discusses his disenchantment with fame, and complicated feelings towards the Beat Generation. He also discusses his relationship with his mother and his friends such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Lucienn Carr and William S. Burroughs. The novel is also notable for being a relatively positive portrayal of homosexuality and homosexual characters, despite its use of words that were at the time considered homophobic slurs.

<i>Visions of Gerard</i> 1963 novel by Jack Kerouac

Visions of Gerard is a novel by American Beat writer Jack Kerouac. Kerouac wrote it over the course of the first two weeks of 1956, while staying with his sister Caroline in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and it was published in 1963. It is the first volume in Kerouac's "Duluoz Legend". Visions of Gerard focuses on the scenes and sensations of childhood as evidenced in the short yet happy life of his older brother, Gerard. Kerouac paints a picture of the boy as a saint, who loves all creatures and teaches this doctrine to four-year-old Jack. Set in Kerouac's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, it is an exploration of the meaning and precariousness of existence.

<i>Maggie Cassidy</i> 1959 novel by Jack Kerouac

Maggie Cassidy is a novel by the American writer Jack Kerouac, first published in 1959. It is a largely autobiographical work about Kerouac's early life in Lowell, Massachusetts, from 1938 to 1939, and chronicles his real-life relationship with his teenage sweetheart Mary Carney. It is unique for Kerouac for its high school setting and teenage characters. He wrote the novel in 1953 but it was not published until 1959, after the success of On the Road (1957).

<i>Doctor Sax</i> 1959 novel by American author Jack Kerouac

Doctor Sax is a novel by Jack Kerouac published in 1959. Kerouac wrote it in 1952 while living with William S. Burroughs in Mexico City.

Carolyn Elizabeth Robinson Cassady was an American writer and associated with the Beat Generation through her marriage to Neal Cassady and her friendships with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other prominent Beat figures. She became a frequent character in the works of Jack Kerouac.

William Cannastra was a member of the early Beat Generation scene in New York. He was a "wild man" figure that the writers in the group found interesting, similar to their fascination with Neal Cassady. Characters based on Bill Cannastra were included in both the John Clellon Holmes novel Go and Jack Kerouac's Visions of Cody. He is also described in Allen Ginsberg's "Howl".

Jack Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his method of spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as Catholic spirituality, jazz, promiscuity, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and travel. Kerouac used the name "Duluoz Legend" to refer to his collected autobiographical works.

<i>Move Under Ground</i> 2004 novel by Nick Mamatas

Move Under Ground is a horror novel mashup by American writer Nick Mamatas, which combines the Beat style of Jack Kerouac with the cosmic horror of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. It is available as a free download via a Creative Commons license, CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 according to the License information in the CC version of the book.

<i>Big Sur</i> (film) 2013 American film

Big Sur is a 2013 adventure drama film written and directed by Michael Polish. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Jack Kerouac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beat Museum</span> Literary museum in San Francisco, California

The Beat Museum is located in San Francisco, California and is dedicated to preserving the memory and works of the Beat Generation.

Al Hinkle was a childhood friend of Beat Generation icon Neal Cassady who was the inspiration for the character of Ed Dunkel in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. In December 1948 Hinkle contributed $100 to the down payment on the 1949 Hudson automobile that Cassady drove across the United States, the journey memorialized in Kerouac’s novel. He was also the real life inspiration for characters in two other Kerouac books: Slim Buckle in Visions of Cody and Ed Buckle in Book of Dreams.

Haldon Chase, often referred to as "Hal Chase", was a Denver-born archaeologist, who was known for his archaeological research on several rock art sites at Colorado. Outside the field of archaeology, he was best known as part of the earliest Beat circle.

References

  1. Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody, Visions of Gerard, Big Sur. New York: Library of America, 2015, p. 763 ISBN   978-1-59853374-3.
  2. Sandison, David. Jack Kerouac: An Illustrated Biography. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. 1999
  3. Who’s Who: A Guide to Kerouac’s Characters
  4. Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody. London and New York: Penguin Books Ltd. 1993.
  5. Wills, D. 'Who's Who: A Guide to Kerouac's Characters', in Wills, D. (ed.) Beatdom Vol. 3 (Mauling Press: Dundee, 2009); Available online Archived 2009-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Pulley, M: The last days of Victor Wong Sacramento News & Review, September 18, 2001
  7. Xan Brooks, "Jack Kerouac's Big Sur heads to the big screen," The Guardian , April 18, 2011.
  8. "'Big Sur': Kerouac Adaptation Film Cast Announced," Huffington Post , April 15, 2011.
  9. Wyndham Wyeth, "Jack Kerouac's Big Sur to Get Film Adaptation," Paste , April 18, 2011.
  10. Stephen Baldwin, "Cast set for film adaptation of Kerouac’s Big Sur," Archived 2012-07-09 at archive.today National Post , April 15, 2011.