On the Road: The Original Scroll

Jack Kerouac is one of our great writers. I feel closer to the beats than any other literary movement. I used to say hi to Allen Ginsberg when I lived in the East Village. Allen hung hanging out at the church on first avenue that I passed every day on the way to classes. I really love Dharma Bums and On the Road. I have never been blind to the novel’s faults. It is a generation book, kind of like Catcher in the Rye or Razor’s Edge. It has great flaws because it is such an important book. No book could ever live up to what Kerouac wanted to write.

On the Road: The Original Scroll, written on three long rolls of tracing paper during a three week high on speed, has been transcribed and published. I am looking forward to reading it. Some reviews say it is better than the edited version that Jack eventually sold.