The History of Literature. Kerouac: biography, bibliography, reviews, links

Kerouac

IN PREPARAZIONE/ IN PROGRESS

, /10

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On the road

Kerouac racconta esperienze giovanili, a partire da quando, stufo della vita del campus, decide di seguire Dean Moriarty nei suoi turbinosi pellegrinaggi. Durante il viaggio da New York a Denver incontra, grazie perlopiù a passaggi di camionisti, altri nomadi; a Denver si unisce agli amici Chad King, Carlo Marx e Dean: dopo un po' di baldorie in città, Kerouac si sposta in California, dove conosce Terry e decide di tornare a New York in autostop, ma alla fine lei deve rinunciare.

A New York, Salvatore Paradise (Kerouac) vive con la zia, scrive un libro e va a scuola; dopo un po' riceve la visita di Dean ed altri due amici giunti dalla California, con i quali comincia a bazzicare la casa di Marx. Decidono di tornare in California in auto, ma arrivato a Frisco s'accorge di non legare più con loro e riparte in autobus. Resoconto conciso per frasi brevi e, a volte, idiomatiche, in stile quasi giornalistico.

Un secondo periodo di follie da Denver a Frisco, e poi un viaggio in Messico, sempre dietro l'incontenibile Dean, finché questi non si stanca di quella vita e torna a Frisco da sua moglie Camille.

(Translated by Jason Pierce)

Kerouac tells youthful experiences, which derive from the inception of his discontent with campus life, when he decides to follow Dean Moriarty on his whirling pilgrimages. During the voyage from New York to Denver Kerouac meets (on the most part thanks to truckdrivers that let him hitch-hike) other nomads. In Denver, he joins the friends of Chad King, Carlo Marx and Dean: after a little absurdity in downtown Denver, Kerouac moves on to California, where he meets Terry and decides to hitch-hike back to New York. In the end, Terry goes back on her word and stays in California.
In New York, Sal Paradise (Kerouac) lives with his aunt, writes a book, and goes to school. Shortly after, Dean and two of his friends from California visit Kerouac, characters with whom Kerouac begins to hang out with at the home of Carlo Marx. Together they decide to drive to California, but by the time of his arrival in Frisco, Kerouac realizes he no longer connects with them and he takes a bus back to New York. To make a long story short, what follows are accounts that are concise, at times idiomatic, and portrayed in a quasi-journalistic style.
A second period of madness ensues from Denver to Frisco, and then a journey to Mexico, but Kerouac is always behind the uncontrollable Dean. Up until this point Kerouac is not tired of these voyages and his overall nomadic life; he returns to Frisco with his wife Camille.