3 Notorious Beat Books...

On the Road Review

In my friend’s room, some years ago, there was a poster of Jack Kerouac (left), looking pensively into the lens. One night, somewhat inebriated, I read the quote underneath. Anyone who has ever read On the Road, or anyone who has read an interpretation or a review of On the Road, will know this quote.

“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.” 

That same intoxicated night, as I stumbled out of his dishevelled university housing and somehow made my way home, the same quote resonated in my mind. The next morning, waking up in that preliminary stage of a hangover, where one feels partially drunk and partially repugnant, where one considers the fragmented sequence of events from the night before, I remembered the poster on the wall, and the beauty of that quote.

Now, in an effort to avoid sentimentalizing On the Road, it’s important to note that I finished my current novel, Buchan’s 39 Steps, and then purchased On the Road from Amazon. A tale somewhat devoid of romance and certainly antithetical to the lifestyle that Kerouac’s ‘Beat Bible’ expounds.

I was 18 when I read it, as everyone seemed to be, and unfortunately, to accord to the commonplace, I was astonished by it. I am far older, far wiser and certainly more indebted to the world of literature now, so my second reading may not be as commonplace.

Firstly, let me make this very clear from the outset, I loved and still love this book. However, without the rose tinted beat glasses and the thirst for adventure, exploration and personal discovery, I am happy to concede that this book has its faults.

The vocabulary is far from extensive, the prose is often overly romantic and the story is at times fragmented.  Commentators often attribute, and arguably excuse, these faults to the legend that surrounds this novel: the three week burst in which it was written, the haze of drugs that apparently played a role in such an expeditious accomplishment and perhaps most notoriously, the monolithic 100+ foot scroll on which it was produced (right).

Nonetheless, this legend, for solely literary reasons, must be ignored. One of the problems with the novel, as mentioned earlier, is that it is often sensationalized. It is viewed as a sort of nostalgic, adolescent treasure that played an all encompassing role in its reader’s formative years. And much like Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, its legend often proceeds it’s literary achievement.

The book, in a purely non-romantic, literary sense, is still extremely readable. What I found most enjoyable on the second read is how it opens up and challenges the conventions of literature. By employing his ‘spontaneous prose’, Kerouac opens the story up, and while this inexorably fragments it, the result is a fast, dynamic tale of camaraderie,  love and adventure. The autobiographical essence of the book evokes feelings of verisimilitude and brutality to the novel. It awards it with a sense of honesty.

The novel follows protagonist Sal Paradise, Kerouac’s alter-ego, on various cross country trips through America, and down to Mexico, joined for the large part by his mercurial friend Dean Moriarty, based on Neal Cassady. Dean is the heart of the story; his wild, unpredictable endeavours, his lust for life and his regression from mad hero to pitiful fool provide the novel with its finest moments.

Dean embodies the spirit of the Beat Generation, a post-war American subculture headed by the likes of Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. His perpetual quest to find jazz, sex, drugs and love, that are immortalized in these pages, exemplifies the ethos of all those who are considered ‘Beat’.

As the story progresses, the trips seem less and less rewarding. The novel ends with Sal and his new girl planning on moving to San Francisco, and Dean appearing to help with the move. Everything falls through however, and Dean disappears for a final time, leaving Sal to reminisce about their adventures, seeming strangely bereft. The novel ends as nostalgically as it began, with Sal dreaming of Dean Moriarty.

The second read is interesting; you are still rewarded with the sense of adventure and the fast, incomparable prose. What is taken away is the life-affirming feeling that teenagers receive, and it's replaced by a feeling of emptiness, perhaps a disappointment that you can’t heed the same results. 

On the Road is still a good novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it, however once I tore myself away from the glare of sentiment and the overbearing shadow of nostalgia, I saw some of its faults and came to the realization that while it is still emphatically interesting and entertaining, I can no longer consider it the finest piece of American literature.

Three Beat Boys:

The Beat generation has received renewed interest as of late. This post will look at three of it's celebrated members:

Jack Kerouac in New York City.

Jack Kerouac (above), William Burroughs (bottom, left) and Allen Ginsberg (bottom, right) were the cornerstones of the Beat Generation. 

Kerouac was the poster-boy of this post-war American subculture. His seminal work On the Road, that will be reviewed above, embodied the spirit of the subculture. It is referred to as the 'Beat bible'. On the Road is heading for the big screen this summer, with Francis Ford Coppola as a producer.

 Burroughs, often referred to as the godfather of the beat generation, was the most innovative beat novelist, often experimenting with new styles and developing different genres. In his most celebrated work, Naked Lunch,  Burroughs employs the cut-up technique, something Burroughs created, improved and eventually perfected.

Allen Ginsberg was a 'jazz poet'. Some of his noticeable works are Howl, Kaddish and America. He was the most political beat, often striving for a more politically aware movement, rather than the arguably apolitical, even anti-political, position that characterized the Beat generation.

Top 100 Books

With the craze that surrounded Harry Potter and all things magical, the BBC decided to publish a 'Top 100' list as part of their 'Big Read'. The book was supposed to indicate books that everyone should read, however I found the list quite erroneous (how can all 7 Harry Potter books make the fold). Judge for yourself:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

Anyway, I found this list on the Guardian and deem it far more comprehensive and, in my personal taste, correct:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews

Here's a few notes, please disagree:

Firstly, the list is less suffocating as it hasn't numbered the entries, this allows the reader slightly more freedom in discerning for themselves where each entry should lie.

It dates well, whereas the BBC version was slightly compact and overly modern, the Guardian is far more ubiquitous and rounded.

A problem with the Guardians version, is that it has 'complete works', which feels obvious and contrived. After all, Kafka's best book is not his 'complete works'. Quite stupid really.

That's about all, as a side-note, Crime and Punishment shouldn't be in either. It's overrated. (Sorry)

Literature Adaptations

Hollywood producers are increasingly adapting works of literature. Producing films from literature can be a way of bringing some of the best stories ever told into the visual world, and while they can be riveting upon fruition, I think there are some book adaptations that ratify the wide-spread contention that some books are quite simply unadaptable.

For example, two books that I quite adore, Kerouac's On the Road and Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis, premiered at Cannes film festival over the last week on the big screen. Both these films were done by rather artistic, creative and esteemed directors, giving them every chance of success. However, these are books that I would deem unadaptable, and are certainly not meant for an adaptation that veers towards entertaining the inevitable demographics which, unfortunately, they will ultimately seek.

Both films have a twilight star in main roles, and both have been, according to early reviews, and their trailers, diluted to suit a wide reaching audience. If both films are not successful, as early reviews also indicate, I believe it is not because of shortcomings in their scripts or failure from the reputable directors and writers who took part in these projects, but rather due to the fact that certain books are simply not meant for the big screen. They can't be diluted or glamorized because this in itself defeats their point.

When I heard these two books were becoming films I was slightly bemused, I am not against the idea of adapting classic or contemporary works of literature, my problem is that certain novels shouldn't be adapted (including the aforementioned two), and it seems these films may very well amplify my contention. 

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