Uncut edition of Kerouac's 'On The Road' issued 50 years later

[jefferson_dem]

:bounce: :hippie: :bounce:

Uncut edition of Kerouac's 'On The Road' issued 50 years later

by Luis Torres de la LlosaSat Aug 18, 4:34 AM ET

When "On The Road" came out in 1957, Jack Kerouac became the voice of the Beat Generation almost overnight. "Jack went to bed obscure and woke up famous," was how his girlfriend Joyce Johnson put it.

Now, 50 years on, the tale of disaffected youth struggling to find a place in post-war America is to be re-released in its original form, unedited, cruder and more erotic, and with the real names of Kerouac's traveling companions restored.

The novel recounts drug-fueled road trips Kerouac took across America with fellow writers, poets and artists, all narrated in a spontaneous stream of consciousness and set to the strains of bebop jazz.

"On one level, it is a beautifully written, compelling story that is part of a long mythology about the promise of the American frontier," explained Penny Vlagopoulos, professor of literature at Columbia University in New York.

The cult novel has sold four million copies in America alone, and continues to sell at the rate of around 100,000 a year, according to publisher Viking.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070818/ennew_afp/entertainmentbooks_070818083434

[Bennyboy]

1. Nice..Kind of like albums now....

the reissue, uncut etc.....Nice to see Jack taking part in the commercialization of America.

[begin_within]

2. One of my top 5 books of all time... can't wait to read the uncut version!

Thanks for posting the news!