Who would win: the Beat generation or the crushing weight of reality? ( )

This is a worn down and haggard Jack, fighting to keep some of that idealism and spark alive, but well aware that he can't outrun fame, addiction, or myriad other demons eating away at his body and spirit.

For joyous, crackling prose, I prefer "Dharma Bums", but for a character study of what happens when a guy who delights in the simple joys gets caught up in the heat and confusion of being deigned king of an entire cultural movement, "Big Sur" is mighty compelling.

( )

This book has a lot of beautifully descriptive language. It is a confession of the horrible aftermath of it all. Nearly a decade after the publication of Road, the author is a dysfunctional alcoholic struggling to cope with fame and preconceived notions people have of him. Big Sur is a freak book. It's many things and can be interpreted in many ways. ( )

I read On the Road as a teenager and thought it was great. Reread in my late twenties and became bored. Got inspired to read Big Sur because I had a brief trip out to California and wanted to read something (not too long) on the fight.

My take is that Kerouac may have had a little bit of talent, but more than that he had timing and personality. He wrote about a particular American idea first and with a personal style/look/attitude that sold well. That's not his fault, but Big Sur makes it feel like it was his downfall. He didn't want this much attention because he didn't have any big idea or really that much to say. The talent is pretty much gone (with the exception of a couple of good lines or jokes, but you'd feel like any hack could stumble onto given two-hundred pages), and all that remains is the alcoholic's psychosis and paranoia. I did think it was interesting at times as he explores how addiction pulls him away from what he knows he needs. It seems like the drinking in San Francisco or with old friends isn't even fun. There's no joy, just gut-rotting self-destruction. The last chapters feel a little like a bad acid trip--which is what I suppose you arrive at when you go on a decade long bender. ( )

What I learned - Beat stuff is not for me. ( )