Please welcome our newest contributor, Betsy Woods-McGuire, a long-time columnist for the Town Crier newspaper in Tewksbury. Her column, “Betsy’s Best Bets”, covers the hidden treasures, the tried and true, and the tucked-away gems — interwoven with humor and her unique social commentary. The following piece was originally published in the Town Crier in July 2007 and reappears here in connection with Kerouac’s 90th birthday on March 12.
Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book. (Emerson)
Recently not a week goes by without an article or mention of Jack Kerouac and the 50th anniversary of the publication of “On the Road.” At the Boott Cotton Museum in Lowell, Kerouac’s original “scroll” manuscript and exhibit opened on June 15th and will run through September 14th.
As the story goes, Kerouac taped sheets of paper together so they would run through his manual typewriter uninterrupted, helping to keep his “writer’s flow.” In an explosion of creativity, fueled by coffee and drugs, in only three weeks, Kerouac completed the entire book on a 120-foot continuous roll of paper. After publication the scroll was more or less forgotten until 2001 when an eccentric and wealthy collector bought it at auction from the Kerouac estate for two million! Fittingly the new owner, James Irsay, decided to take the scroll “on the road.” What better place to see the “On the Road” exhibit than the City of Lowell, Kerouac’s home town. Being a Jack Kerouac follower myself, I plan to see the exhibit sometime soon, maybe more than once.
Standing in front of my ceiling-to-floor bookcase, I counted four books written by Jack Kerouac and six books about Kerouac. Hanging on the wall next to the bookcase, along with pictures of my favorite writers, is a beautifully framed, good-sized sketch of Jack Kerouac. I’ve read “On the Road” twice. The first time was as a teenager, a hardcover, 1st edition, that I owned. God knows where that book went – probably borrowed and never returned. Didn’t seem to matter back then. Now I hate to think of what that book would be worth today! read more »
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