I'm reading "On The Road" again. I'm pretty sure this is my fourth time around, but have to admit that this time, I'm doing it with a Twist. I recently purchased the "On The Road, The Original Scroll" (Penguin, 2007). "On The Road" is basically the original scroll -- right off the typewriter -- as Jack had originally intended the volume to be read. It even includes real names (Cody is Neal, Allen is Allen and Jack is Jack).
What's more, there are about 103 full pages of introductions and analyzations of both the creative process (there were actually other starts and stops and even a previous scroll, later published as "Visions of Cody") and the subsequent editing process at the insistance of several editors - and even Allen Ginsberg - in his attempt to get the book published. As a reader, the process is interesting - as a writer, the process is invaluable.
It makes for GREAT reading, and I find myself feeling much the same as I did after seeing the recent movie "HOWL", then plucking the book off the shelves and tweeting every single line to my followers and to many of their followers too. It was such fun to share comments and enthusiasm for HOWL. I feel much the same as I did when I tweeted dozens of Kerouac's American Haiku form...some really lovely work by Kerouac.
It's no secret how I feel about Twitter as an effective communication channel for what was once a distant artistic web of isolated individualists, but is now being slowly transformed into a cohesive and thriving and yes, even BREATHING artistic community.
So, here we go again. Reading this classic account of rebel America meeting straight America and the constant search for exhilarating "kicks" and the pure joy they feel as they approach maturity. It's infectious!
Our #OnTheRoad tag begins with the first line:
You will see more wonderfully open, wild and mad quotes from the novel over the next few weeks. I'm picking them as I go along so if I miss a line you particularly love, PLEASE feel free to send an email or a comment to this blog entry, and I'll post it on Twitter - OR, do it yourself!
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Wow! this is great....
ReplyDeletethanks so much for sharing this and doing it.
as a former professor, mentor of mine used to say: it's not that there aren't any good writers, but there aren't any great readers.
read. re-read. re-read. re-read. re-read.
i am grateful for twitter also (very few understand its real value), it is a constant source of generating serendipity, especially for creatives.
looking forward to your tweets and retweeting on. : )
cheerios ,
~a.
aka (@so_you_know) : )