Free eBooks Memory Babe: A Critical Biography Of Jack Kerouac Available To Downloads
In 1969 Jack Kerouac died a premature death. While his legendary lifestyle and unique creative talent made him a hero in his lifetime, his literary influence has grown steadily since. With Memory Babe (a childhood nickname honoring Kerouac's feats of memory), Gerald Nicosia gives us a complete biography of Jack Kerouac—an honest, discriminating and, above all, compassionate assessment. This edition is enhanced by many rare photographs never before published.
Paperback: 767 pages
Publisher: University of California Press (February 23, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0520085698
ISBN-13: 978-0520085695
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #568,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #42 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Beat Generation #1805 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > United States #3590 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
Chronologically, from birth to death, author Nicosia tells Kerouac's life story with unflinching honesty and utmost respect. Blessed with a sharp memory, very early on Jack's childhood friends nicknamed him "Memory Babe" and that is where the book got its name. Packed with fascinating details and exquisitely written, this book needs to be discovered by a younger generation of readers.Many of us alive today have heard of Jack Kerouac but I doubt few know the details of his tragic life. That he remains the voice of a generation and a literary icon goes without saying. Kerouac was a physically beautiful but emotionally flawed man with a tormented spirit. He spent his life as man and writer trying to prove that "the past is the root of the future, and that a man cannot live without the continuity of both." Jack remembered everything he heard, as if words were sacred and his mind was a sponge. Despite his many flaws, he always paid "exquisite attention to the sound of language."Even as he mapped new territory as a writer, Kerouac was adrift as a man. As the first spokesman for the "beat" generation, he perfected that voice with guilt, self-doubt, and self-punishment. This biography clearly states Jack's definition of "beat": "beat down, beat up, all-tired-out." Still, his words were always carefully chosen. Word by word, Kerouac carefully created phrases to express time, place, emotion, and man's senses, communicating deep meaning. His writing was full of symbolism and visions, allegory and veiled reality, profanity and parody, as he groped his way with prose towards his own death. For his time, Kerouac's verbal ingenuity was unsurpassed.
This is an absolutely fantastic biography. It just amazes me how Nicosia was able to uncover so much information on Jack Kerouac. I guess the huge amount of correspondence he left behind would have been his first treasure trove he would have ploughed through, plus the large number of his friends and acquaintances that the author was able to interview.I have heard some reviewers on and elsewhere complain that this biographer is too 'blinded' by his adulation of Kerouac. Although the author's respect for Kerouac is indeed evident throughout the book, I disagree. Nicosia exposes all the drug and sex debauchery, scandals and many low points in this man's very, very troubled life while at the same time giving us an intelligent analysis of the value of his art immortalized in his books. I was particularly impressed with his deep analysis of Mexico City Blues, Town and the City and Visions of Cody - three of my favourites. Through this book, I also came to discover lots of other 'minor' works by Kerouac such as Old Angel Midnight (originally called Lucien Midnight) and various articles he wrote for magazines like Esquire.To my mind, this is 98% a perfect biography - that is, provided that all of the information in the book is accurate and true. It's well written without being verbose or pretentiously academic, it is nicely paced, it contains plenty of information for diehard Kerouackians and is well referenced for people like me who want to check out his sources even further.I was only disappointed by one thing - the last chapter of the book. While I am grateful to Nicosia for having spared us some of the more unpleasant details of Kerouac's final months and years, I was left wanting to know a little more about what exactly happened to him between 1965 and 1969.
Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac Memory Exercises: Memory Exercises Unleashed: Top 12 Memory Exercises To Remember Work And Life In 24 Hours With The Definitive Memory Exercises Guide! (memory exercises, memory, brain training) Free Beer - Kicks & Truth with Jack Kerouac & other strong drinks Jack Kerouac: Road Novels 1957-1960: On the Road / The Dharma Bums / The Subterraneans / Tristessa / Lonesome Traveler / Journal Selections (Library of America) Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg: The Letters Windblown World: The Journals of Jack Kerouac 1947-1954 Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, The Beat Generation, And America Detective Jack Stratton Mystery Thriller Series: JACK KNIFED (Detective Jack Stratton Mystery-Thriller Series Book 2) Deep Cover Jack: Hunt For Jack Reacher Series (The Hunt For Jack Reacher Series Book 7) Jack and Joe: Hunt For Jack Reacher Series (The Hunt for Jack Reacher Series Book 6) BRAIN: 51 Powerful Ways to Improve Brain Power, Enhance Memory, Intelligence and Concentration NATURALLY! (MEMORY, Memory Improvement, Learning, Brain Training) Quantum Memory: Learn to Improve Your Memory with The World Memory Champion! American Sniper: The Incredible Biography of an American Hero, Chris Kyle (Chris Kyle, Iraq War, Navy Seal, American Icons, History, Biography, PTSD) American National Biography (American National Biography Supplement) Scratching the Beat Surface: Essays on New Vision from Blake to Kerouac GIRL JACKED: Detective Jack Stratton Mystery Series (Detective Jack Stratton Mystery Thriller Series Book 1) Quick Be Jack: A Jack Nolan Novel (The Cap's Place Series Book 3) LEE CHILD: SERIES READING ORDER: MY READING CHECKLIST: JACK REACHER SERIES, JACK REACHER SHORT STORIES, HAROLD MIDDLETON SERIES, SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS BY LEE CHILD, LEE CHILD ANTHOLOGIES TOM CLANCY COMPLETE SERIES READING ORDER: Jack Ryan, John Clark, Jack Ryan Jr./Campus, Op-Center, Ghost Recon, EndWar, Splinter Cell, Net Force, Power Plays, and more! With A Twist - A Lt. Jack Daniels Locked Room Mystery Short Story (Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Mysteries)
