V KEROUAC JACK: (1922-1969)

V KEROUAC JACK: (1922-1969)

KEROUAC JACK: (1922-1969) American novelist and poet, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. A scarce T.L.S., Jack, in bold pencil, to one side of a plain postcard, Jamaica, New York, 10th October 1949, to Edward White Jr. Kerouac writes a spirited letter to his friend, beginning by repremanding him for not visiting during a trip to New York, ´I thought you were coming back from Baltimore before leaving for Denver. I called you that Monday afternoon you left, apparently just after you took off. On top of that you never did stay at my shack. This is by way of being a command for next time´, continuing to ask White to inform their mutual friend Beverly Burford of Kerouac´s new address (´and if she visits N.Y. to plan on seeing me´) and further posing a barrage of questions, including an anecdote regarding Eric Protter, ´Do you know what Eric Protter did? He went to my company [i.e. the publishers Harcourt Brace] with his novel and said I had sent him. Where´s Livornese, is he with you? I haven´t seen him. What´s going on around here? How´s Justin? Where´s Hal? What´s the meaning of all this? Did you look up Emma Straj yet? I´m writing to Burford. I´m seeing Reva this week. Great!´. Kerouac adds one line in his hand at the conclusion, providing his new address in Richmond Hill, New York. A letter of good association in which Kerouac refers to many individuals who served as the inspiration for characters in his most famous novel On the Road, a defining work of the Beat and Counterculture Generations. VG

Edward D. White Jr. (1925-2017) American architect, a close friend of Kerouac and others associated with the Beat Generation. White was the inspiration behind three characters in Kerouac´s books, Tim Gray in On the Road, Ed Gray in Visions of Cody, and Al Green in Book of Cody.

Other mutual friends of Kerouac and White referred to in the present letter include Beverly Burford (1925-1994) who was the inspiration for Babe Rawlins in On the Road, and her older brother Bob Burford (1924-2004) who worked on the New Story magazine with Eric Protter and served as the inspiration for Ray Rawlins in On the Road, Tom Livornese (1924-1990) who was a jazz enthusiast and pianist and the model for Tom Calabrese in Visions of Cody and Jim Calabrese in Book of Cody, Justin W. Brierly (1905-1985) a lawyer who inspired a number of Kerouac´s characters including Denver D. Doll in On the Road, and Haldon Chase (1923-2006) who was part of the early Beat circle and lived with Kerouac, inspiring the character Chad King in On the Road as well as many others in later works.