On The Road:Post 1

3. In 1952 (when people still wrote letters to each other), Allen Ginsberg penned these words to Kerouac about the manuscript of On the Road: "I don't see how it will ever be published, it's so personal, it's so full of sex language, so full of our local mythological references, I don't know if it would make sense to any publisher." What is your reaction to this?

"On the Road" is a novel of experience; it tells tales of madness played out by all kinds of strange characters, in settings as diverse as a Virginia small-town diner, a New York jazz-joint, and a Mexican whore-house. What connects these adventures is the characters' refusal to miss out on life,and their determination to get the most out of now. It is personal, full of sex and vulgarity, but I think that's what makes it so interesting. It's real. It's raw. It's not some made-up story that takes up space in pages. It's an autobiography, or more, of Kerouac's life experience and his hunger of life. I rather understand what Ginsberg is saying, though. For him, being part of that experience and history, it would be as if part of his life is being published and that, to him, wouldn't make sense to critics and publishers who's job is to analyze and improve literary works. But this, this was more than literature to them, it was truly their life experiences in their youth.