Big Sur (novel)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Big Sur | |
 |
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| Author | Jack Kerouac |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Cudahy |
| Publication date | 1962 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | Approx. 256 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-016812-5 |
| Preceded by | Lonesome Traveler (1960) |
| Followed by | Visions of Gerard (1963) |
Big Sur is a 1962 novel by Jack Kerouac. It recounts the time when Kerouac (here known by the name of his fictional alter-ego Jack Duluoz), at the height of his fame, stayed at a cabin in Big Sur, owned by Kerouac's friend and Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti for a period, struggling to get over what might be a nervous breakdown, alcoholism or both. For a while the writer lives a happy, contemplative life of simple pleasures, until his craving for company drives him back to the city. The book is very dark, and deals very directly and explicitly with delirium tremens.
[edit] Character Key [1]
"Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work." [2]
| Real-life person | Character name |
|---|---|
| Jack Kerouac | Jack Duluoz |
| Neal Cassady | Cody Pomeray |
| Lawrence Ferlinghetti | Lorenzo Monsanto |
| Allen Ginsberg | Irwin Garden |
| Robert LaVigne | Robert Browning |
| Michael McClure | Pat McLear |
| Jackie Gibson Mercer | Willamine "Billie" Dabney |
| Albert Saijo | George Baso |
| Alan Watts | Arthur Wayne |
| Lew Welch | David Wain |
| Lenore Kandel | Ramona Swartz |
[edit] References
- ^ Sandison, Daivd. Jeck Kerouac: An Illustrated Biography. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. 1999
- ^ Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody. London and New York: Penguin Books Ltd. 1993.
- 1962. Big Sur, ISBN 0-14-016812-5
