The Long Slow Death of Jack Kerouac

by Jim Christy

Book Overview

Jack Kerouac was one of the most widely read and influential American writers of the 20th century. Jim C hristy focuses on the last ten years of Kerouac''s life, a pe riod that has been dismissed as nothing more than a drunken decline. '

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550223577
• ISBN13: 9781550223576
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: ECW Press
• Length: 110 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.8" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

The best book on Kerouac!!!

Forget all the [junk] that most biographers scribble in their dark corners about perhaps the greatest writer of the 20th century (except for perhaps Blaise Cendrars) -- read this book and take a glimpse into Kerouac. Christy has given a great snapshot of the man that was Kerouac. Anyone who slags this book hasn't read it, let it roll around between their ears and finally digest the whole shooting match.This is a great book!

Kerouac's Soul Revealed

Christy offers an insightful and different look at Kerouac and his works than most biographies. He discusses what was important to Kerouac, such as religion, a topic often given only minimal treatment, and the literary acceptance he wanted but instead received infamy which pushed him along to the grave. Unfortunately, this excellent information is not really integrated into the biography but comes in the last few chapters. (Almost all biographical information about Kerouac's later years is also in Nicosia's Memory Babe.) For those dozen or so pages the book is well worth it!

Cover photo- & revealing portraits...

You will benefit by remembering Jack's quote on back cover..for attribution..Only Gerald Nicosia's "memory Babe" commands the same literary status as this (fair,poignant,painful))treatment. See also his daughter Jan's...Train Song...she died very young, & her short life was..(negatively?) impacted by the "wildman"..ole Jack..of on the road...

The definitive and concise Jack Kerouac biography!

Jim Christy's understanding and research of Jack Kerouac makes this book both insightful and provocative. Christy discusses Kerouac's Catholic, French Canadian background and how he feels it impacted his work. Throughout the book Christy interjects insightful and personal opinions about Jack Kerouac which puts a more human touch to what has become another icon of the month.A must read if you are at all interested in the Beat Generation.Highly recommended!!!!

Best book on Kerouac in years

I read this short book on jack kerouac in just 2 days(only a hundred pages or so). This little book gives a more complete picture of Kerouac than any other that I have read. Many books have came out on Kerouac in recent years--buy this one and forget about many of the others.