Who's Today's Answer To Kerouac?

[Piercing]

Does anyone have recemendations of modern writers who not only closely resemble Jack Kerouac in their writing but have that "mad to live" spark for life (e.g. autobiographical fiction)?
P.S. I've tried looking into "neo-beats," yet they seem very unestablished, especially on the internet.

[PeterL]

I was just about to say that I have not heard of any such, when I noticed an ad for City Lights Books. You might look at who they feature, or you could email them and ask. If Ferlinghetti (sp?) is still running the place, he might have some suggestions.

[Nightwalk]

As far as I know nobody has taken up his mantle, which makes his legacy stand out more.

[Scheherazade]

His legacy to get high in the fastest possible way? :p

[Kurtz]

His legacy to get high in the fastest possible way? :p

No, His ability to pioneer a new path in a time in which societal values were being strained by vanilla “inside” the box thinking. Kerouac was a man who lived a life full of diverse changes, romantic settings, drugs, alcohol, and was enveloped in an intense haze of creativity. He wandered the earth doing things that many people can only dream of, and I might add, his works have influenced many legends in many different fields.. Replying to a question about such an individual with a statement such as the above, only diminishes the respect he deserves and adds nothing to the conversation that can be interpreted as relevant or helpful to the person interested in the topic.

As far as a modern day Kerouac is concerned. I think his type of writing has been incorporated into a lot of modern day literary works. One particular author I find interesting is Tim Cahill. His book “A Wolverine is Eating My Leg” is a brilliant blend of adventure and humor that transcends many different cultures and perspectives. It also adds witty remarks and outlooks on a world that is often only concerned with its own backyard. But like I said above, his style was pioneering in its time, but today, due in large part to Mr. Kerouac, we see a lot of this style throughout literature and music.

[Piercing]

Thank You Kurtz. You've lead me not only to Tim Cahill but Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux and quite certaintly a career in travel writing.

[Kurtz]

Glad I could help. There is also another travel/adventure writer who is a phd in chemistry, who odly enough gave it up to lead a life of adventure. His name is John Turk and he writes great books on long distance kayak trips.

Also, I feel compelled to mention Edward Abbey, but I am assuming that if you are aware of Kerouac you have probably read his work. If not I suggest you check out his work.

[Nightwalk]

Good post Kurtz. I guess any artist or anyone in the past fifty years who decides to break off the shackles of oppressive and limiting conformity or travelling to appreciate one's world and learn more about him/herself owes a debt to Kerouac. As William Burroughs realized, "After 1957 On the Road sold a trillion Levis and a million espresso coffee machines, and also sent countless kids on the road. This was of course due in part to the media, the arch-opportunists. They know a story when they see one, and the Beat movement was a story, and a big one.... The Beat Literary movement came at exactly the right time and said something that millions of people of all nationalities all over the world were waiting to hear. You can't tell anybody anything he doesn't know already. The alienation, the restlessness, the dissatisfaction were already there waiting when Kerouac pointed out the road".

[Nightwalk]

Piercing: I'd like to ask: is your avatar a portrait of Jack? If so, who's the artist?

[Piercing]

Yeah, its a portrait by Swedish illustrator Riber Hansson.

[Scheherazade]

Replying to a question about such an individual with a statement such as the above, only diminishes the respect he deserves and adds nothing to the conversation that can be interpreted as relevant or helpful to the person interested in the topic.
I am afraid I do not your share enthusiasm for Kerouac. I think the Beat generation (even though their intentions were great initially) got distracted along the way. It is also true that I often wonder whether I would have enjoyed their works more and felt a connection if I had read their works earlier in life.

However, although my first post in the thread was very light hearted, I still reserve the right to form my own opinion on Kerouac - along with other subjects - however disagreeable you might find them. Maybe this is my way of 'thinking out of the box'.

[Nightwalk]

Thanks Piercing.