On The Road – Jack Kerouac
in London
Fifty-five years ago, in the face of
public outrage in the U.S. at the publication of his On the Road, Jack
Kerouac adhered to the first rule of pyrotechnics. Having lit his fabulous
yellow roman candle, he stood well back: in Tangier (with erstwhile Londoner
William Burroughs), in Europe and, for a brief few days, London. His account of
this stay can be found in the 1960 collection Lonesome Traveller.
The
great surprise, from the man who fathered the 21st Century concept of
hardcore Traveller over sedate Holidaymaker, is that his London highlights –
pea-soup fog, policemen’s helmets, pints of bitter beer – read more like a
checklist of touristy ephemera than a cache of rare gems unearthed by a
seasoned adventurer. But the sheer, childlike glee with which Kerouac announces
each “discovery” is infectious stuff. From St Paul’s (for a Good Friday
performance of the Matthew Passion) to the Old Vic (for The Taming of the
Shrew), Kerouac – a man patently in thrall to the city before he’s even
stepped off the train at Victoria – finds his London of the imagination
perfectly in rhythm with the real thing.
Perhaps it was the dignity of old lady
London, despite her still-ragged post-war weeds, that delighted the so-called
King of the Beats most of all. Was there a city more Beat than London in 1957?
Where better for Kerouac to live out his last few days of obscurity before
heading into the teeth of the Beat Generation storm?
POST UPDATED 12/3/16
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
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