339 Jack Kerouac

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2021

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) was one of the most famous American writers of the mid-twentieth century. As a key member of a group of writers known as the "Beat Generation," his works explored the role of the individual in post-war America. His most famous work, On the Road (1957), has sold millions of copies and continues to inspire seekers of nonconformity and spiritual uplift. In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the life and works of the King of the Beats, and along the way offers some thoughts on how to read literature from the past, even when the churning world progresses past some (but not all) of the ideas within. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com. New!!! Looking for an easy to way to buy Jacke a coffee? Now you can at paypal.me/jackewilson. Your generosity is much appreciated! The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. *** This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy. Since you're listening to The History of Literature, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding literature, history, and storytelling like Storybound, Micheaux Mission, and The History of Standup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and LitHub Radio.
0:09.6	Hello.
0:10.6	At the end of last year, 2020, former United States President Barack Obama was asked for a
0:16.0	reading list.
0:17.3	He chose a handful of books that had been influential to him, including Shakespeare's
0:21.9	tragedies and Gandhi's autobiography.
0:25.4	He also chose a pair of works by African-American luminaries Tony Morrison and James
0:29.9	Baldwin, only one other book made his list, and it's a classic American novel.
0:36.2	Huck Finn?
0:37.2	No.
0:38.2	Moby Dick?
0:39.2	Nope.
0:40.2	It was On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
0:44.1	But who was Jack Kerouac?
0:46.6	He was the King of the Beats, famously, but what does that mean?
0:50.4	Who were these Beats?
0:52.5	Other than the group of poets and novelists who came of age in World War II and helped
0:56.7	shape the path for America, cultural America, and its flow from the lost generation of
1:02.8	the 20s and 30s toward the flower-powered generation of the baby boomer 60s.
1:09.2	The teenage boomers who came of age in the 60s loved Kerouac and On the Road, they looked
1:14.8	to him as their poet, their avatar, their inspiration.
1:19.8	The music of the day, the singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan and the Beatles and the doors
	...

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