Big Sur: (Penguin Ink) Paperback – Deckle Edge, April 26, 2011

A true reflection of California ethos, Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur, captures the disillusionment at the end of the beat movement in northern California. Continuing in the tradition of his successful, semi-autobiographical novel, On the Road, Big Sur continues the story of aging beatnik Jack Duluoz, and his existential battle with depression, nihilism, and alcoholism along the scenic shores of Big Sur California. This struggle also reflects a similar decline in the life of the author who died shortly after its publication from complications of alcoholism.In a Waldenesque approach, Kerouac captures Duluoz’s desperate retreat into the wilderness of northern California, in an attempt to escape civilization and reclaim meaning and order in his life. Despite the protagonist’s best efforts, he struggles to detach himself from the hypocrisy and alienation that haunts him. One might think, echoing the footsteps of Thoreau, the sublimity of Big Sur, would inspire a sense of peace and unity in the perceiver, however, Jack is reminded of the transitory and ephemeral nature of life and mankind, plunging him into an existential crisis. Thus, the terrain of California, like the state itself, embodies many contradictory symbols.Throughout the narrative Jack confronts, and in many instances, deconstructs the transcendent values of his peers, caught between the nostalgic innocence of his past and the destructive and oppressive numbness of his present. In spite of his best effort Jack struggles to connect to the environment of Big Sur or the people around him once he returns to civilization. Jack’s alienation is a powerful theme in the novel, driving him to peruse perverse and superficial relationships with his fellow beatniks. Many of the character’s struggle with sexual oppression, despite the liberal values projected by the movement. Jack’s paranoid and prevalent homophobia, and his swinger lifestyle, represent manifestations of his own hidden homoerotic desire for his best friend Cody. Jacks desire and need for intimacy leads to the sexual objectification and exploitation of the women in the novel, this abusive behavior is popular among the other male beatniks. Many of the female beatniks silently suffer, while the male characters justify their sexual infidelity using narcissistic and hedonistic reasoning.Jack constantly invokes philosophical and religious texts, tracing the intellectual stream of ideas that nourishes the sexual and social attitudes of his characters. It is evident that Jack is extremely educated, he pulls from a variety of sources both eastern and western. Likewise, many of his characters represent a diverse array of cultures and perspectives brought together by the Romance of the beat movement. This mixture of ideas also reflect the melting pot community of California culture as a whole.However, Jacks behavior belies a darker side to the idealism of the beat movement as it faced decline in the mid-sixties, leaving its members disheartened. Jack’s alcoholism, represented as the norm in his social circles, plays an important part in his mental and physical decline. Likewise, his interpersonal relationships are dysfunctional and in some cases downright abusive.I think this book is essential to any California canon, many of these themes and values are relevant to contemporary California culture. This book represents the values of a not so distant past, and the Romantic and progressive attitudes of the characters is still alive and well. I think the criticism of those values is priceless in terms of its relationship to modern ethos, narcissism and rugged individualism being popular topics. From his nihilistic perspective, Jack is able to analyze the idealism behind the beat or hippie movement, portraying it through a true unglamorized lens. On the other hand, Jack is unreliable in the sense that he fails to recognize the narcissism and cynicism that undermines his own perspective. In this sense, Jacks nihilism is portrayed as a natural progression of his perverse idealism, yet, it is not the answer to the issues that torment him. In a sense, the character’s failure lies in their inability to establish any real connection to the environment or the people around them. Free love is represented as an extension of the oppressive patriarchal system not an escape from it. True strength, love, and unity cannot be achieved through the selfish, destructive, and individualistic motives of the male characters. It is important to recognize that these anxieties are not new or unique to the present generation, they have evolved as part of popular movements in California’s cultural past. Jacks idealistic language is pure, it is his actions that are corrupt and self-destructive. The failure lies in his determination to drown the contradictions in alcohol, drugs, and sex, rather than reforming the movement. While so many other novels and media outlets glamourize this aspect of the California past, Kerouac offers a refreshing contrast, depicting the grit and conflict with powerful accuracy. This book is most certainly a wonderful addition to any library and an eye opening read for anyone interested in California’s past.

Jack Kerouac was already one of my favorite authors before I started on Big Sur, but now he's even higher up my list. I'd fallen in love with his prose in The Dharma Bums and On The Road, but the writing in Big Sur is on another level. I'm aware that Kerouac is a controversial author and is often criticized for his exuberant naiveté, but I've always found something pure, beautiful, and--more importantly--useful in his ideals, no matter how romantic or ill-advised. But here, those ideals are a little more mature, and Kerouac is somehow able to make them seem reasonable (for example that, perhaps, insanity is as inevitable as death), which is a true testament to his genius. In The Dharma Bums and On The Road, we see a younger Kerouac who, in spite of his inner demons, still seems to have such hope in life. In Big Sur, however, we see a wiser, more cynical, Kerouac, who's now lived long enough to see many of those youthful dreams and ideals die. Who's already been ground through the fame machine and spit out the other end and is hesitant to do anything to bring more fame on, even if it means denying his need to write. Who's simply trying to find a place where he can get some much needed peace. At first, he seeks this peace in nature, but when the demons start closing in again, he runs back to the city hoping to find some much needed distraction from the death and insanity he's beginning to see everywhere he looks. But even in the midst of chaotic celebration, he can no longer distract himself from that dark end. He slowly starts losing his mind, and the indifference of the people surrounding him only makes it worse. Hoping to gain some control, he convinces his friends to return to Big Sur, but there, the nightmare only worsens, as he detaches from the reality he questions whether or not he was ever really a part of, in one paranoiac delusion after the other.The writing in Big Sur is about as sublime any I've ever read. While I think there's still quite a bit of naiveté in his "wisdom," his insights about fame, alcoholism, friendships, romantic relationships, religion, man's place in nature, etc... are remarkably profound and laden with examples of brilliant and masterful figurative language. While he may be "lost," he seems to have a fairly decent idea of where he truly is, and even though he curses his foolish need to write, that need never quite escapes him. In fact, even after his grand realization at the end, he still goes on to write 188 pages of wonderful words, which I think only further proves that those blessed with creative gifts have no ability to turn them off no matter how they're tortured by them. Kerouac is an artist, and even in the darkest hour when he's denouncing this need to write, I never quite believe him and think that he'd eventually follow that need right over the edge into eternal darkness given the opportunity/necessity.This is not an easy book to read. There are no "nice," "clean" story arcs with "likable" characters (whatever the hell that means). No, here, readers will find a raw, powerful, gritty, poetic story about a highly flawed man's inability to find solace anywhere he turns and his inevitable break from reality, which is so brilliantly written, it's hard to believe that he could ever come back from it to write such a beautiful book. Anyone who's ever suffered a nervous breakdown, panic attack, period of drug-induced psychosis, etc... will be able to relate with Kerouac's increasing detachment from reality and the horrifying isolation he feels, especially in the company of friends and the isolating power of nature.Big Sur is easily one of the best books I've ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a profound and artistic work of literature; however, I'd recommend reading a few of Kerouac's other books before starting on this one so you have a better appreciation for the changes Kerouac has made here as a writer and a person.

Banging man this shizzle went straight to my kindle DAAAAAYUM th future man it’s like zap zap zap you get me

I’d forgotten how hard Kerouac is to read. He writes as he thinks and tries to pinpoint feelings and words and because of this his writing can be labyrinthine and incredibly hard to follow. Having said that his imagery and language are stunning, moving and immediate.

Classic book I bought to read on holiday. Good read and didn't disappoint. Felt like I was travelling with the author and learnt a lot about California.

takes a few pages to get into it but once you do its hard to put down ,the way jack writes you can read 10 pages without pausing for breath lol..great stuff

Jack takes three trips to a cabin in Big Sur in an attempt to de-stress but ends up having a psychotic episode due to the amount of wine he is drinking and the company he is keeping.A must read for self-doubting middle-aged hedonists.Some superb insights into paranoia and well written...a quality novel,although a bit on the short side.