50 Years “On the Road”
Laurel Hutchinson
Reference Specialist
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s most famous novel, “On the Road”. It has been described as a story about two men crossing America on the road in the 1950s, but most readers will staunchly defend the novel as something much deeper and more important; not to mention possibly the greatest work to come out of the literary movement whose authors were dubbed “the Beats”.
Part of the legend of “On the Road” is the collection of rumors and stories that swirl around the actual writing of the book. Most sources agree that Kerouac typed the entire novel in one three-week burst using no stimulants stronger than coffee. The manuscript was fondly known as “the roll”, and aptly so, as it was typed on one continuous 120-ft roll of tracing paper, and had no margins or paragraph breaks. I was interested to learn that “the roll” still exists and was purchased in 2001 for $2.4 million. It is on display for public viewing, and has been “touring” the country to various public and university libraries and museums for the past several years. It attracted the attention of Hollywood a long time ago, it seems, but is just now in the stages of becoming an actual film. The movie will be produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Walter Salles.
“On the Road” is undeniably a vital piece of America’s culture as well as an immensely important literary work that has been “taken in by” each succeeding generation, and has inspired much intellectual and philosophical debate, dialogue, and speculation between readers ever since its conception. Its 50th-year anniversary has inspired a flurry of related publications, etc., and is a wonderful chance to learn more about this literary glance into the 1950s world of America from a unique perspective. At the library, you can find “On the Road” in print and as a CD Audiobook as well as a downloadable Audiobook. We also carry many of Kerouac’s other works.
