Jan Kerouac
Jan Kerouac (born February 16, 1952 in Albany , New York - † June 5, 1996 ), full name Janet Michelle Kerouac, was an American writer and the only daughter of Jack Kerouac , one of the most important representatives of the Beat Generation , and Joan Haverty Kerouac , his second wife. Her father denied paternity and she grew up with her mother.
She only met her father twice: once at a court hearing at the age of ten in which he was required to pay alimony of US $ 52 , and a second time at the age of 15 on a trip to Lowell . At this time she began her eventful life on the road . She and a friend hitchhiked across the United States , made a living from odd jobs, and started writing. She married twice and got divorced just as often.
She published two semi-autobiographical books.
In 1981 her first work, Baby Driver, was published . Jan Kerouac describes, among other things, the two meetings with her father and experiences with drugs and sex.
In 1988, her second work, Trainsong , was released, starting where Baby Driver left off. In the 22nd chapter of Trainsong she describes, among other things, a situation in which she was offered an extra role in the Hollywood film Heart Beat . This film was about the love triangle between her father Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady and his wife Carolyn Cassady.
While she was writing Baby Driver and Trainsong , she met some artist friends of her late father: Carolyn Cassady, Allen Ginsberg , William S. Burroughs , Peter Orlovsky, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso.
After her mother died, she moved to Puerto Rico , where she wanted to write her third book Parrot Fever on the beach . Before she could complete it, she developed a rare blood disease and had to return to New York due to kidney problems, where she died at the age of only 44.
Works
- Baby Driver , 1981
- Trainsong , 1988
- Parrot Fever , edited by Phil Cousineau, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005
Web links
- Literature by and about Jan Kerouac in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kerouac, Jan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Janet Michelle Keroac |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 16, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Albany , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 5, 1996 |