Jack Keroauc enjoys a bad reputation in the US and UK because he was a believing Catholic. There is no worse crime in the Anglosphere. Worse, he actually wrote a kind of Catholic mysticism. He annoyed prissy stylists like Truman Capote (who wanted to have sex with him, obvs).
Keroauc also rated Céline and was rooted in Zen thought (of a mangled sort). Suspiciously reactionary for the Anglosphere. Remember that he spoke French patois first (a bit like Conrad and Nabokov writing in a second language).
-
-
He is not regarded as smart though, because he was not an “intellectual”. He played American football at college. We could say it was the chad Keroauc versus the virgin Ginsberg...he certainly had not problems with girls.
Show this thread -
Keroauc is a bit red blooded for the US intellectual establishment. He also, when invited on WF Buckley’s talk show, made vulgar comments about Jewish people (in front of Ginsberg, who generously defended him). That was a mistake, Keroauc was a drunk by then, but hackles raised.
Show this thread -
Kerouac’s achievement was to syncretise Zen and Catholic mysticism and also capture a distinctively American experience: the internal migration in the age of the automobile. The “road trip” is his legacy. A coming of age ritual that is actually a US (now global) religion.
Show this thread -
“Beat” as he understood it was derived from “beatitude”. However, he is largely remembered for writing about f!cking and drinking and smoking grass (not that he didn’t do and write about both extensively). This is just the intellectual establishment up to its old tricks.
Show this thread -
His spontaneous writing style is misunderstood. “Just typing,” said Truman Capote (should be the virgin Capote Vs the chad Kerouac). He made extensive notes and did prep. Then he exploded outwards. He didn’t just “make it up as he went”. Trusted subconscious organisation.
Show this thread -
Kerouac will be marginal because he doesn’t fully belong to Anglo civilisation. He represents France in the New World, though writing in English. He relates to John Kennedy Toole in this respect.
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.