
On the Road: The Original Scroll
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $17.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
John Ventimiglia
-
By:
-
Jack Kerouac
The legendary 1951 scroll draft of On the Road, published word for word as Kerouac originally composed it.
Though Jack Kerouac began thinking about the novel that was to become On the Road as early as 1947, it was not until three weeks in April 1951, in an apartment on West 20th Street in Manhattan, that he wrote the first full draft that was satisfactory to him. Typed out as one long, single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper that he later taped together to form a 120-foot scroll, this document is among the most significant, celebrated, and provocative artifacts in contemporary American literary history. It represents the first full expression of Kerouac's revolutionary aesthetic, the identifiable point at which his thematic vision and narrative voice came together in a sustained burst of creative energy. It was also part of a wider vital experimentation in the American literary, musical, and visual arts in the post-World War II period.
It was not until more than six years later, and after several new drafts, that Viking published, in 1957, the novel known to us today. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of On the Road, Viking will publish the 1951 scroll in a standard book format. The differences between the two versions are principally ones of significant detail and altered emphasis. The scroll is slightly longer and has a heightened linguistic virtuosity and a more sexually frenetic tone. It also uses the real names of Kerouac's friends instead of the fictional names he later invented for them. The transcription of the scroll was done by Howard Cunnell who, along with Joshua Kupetz, George Mouratidis, and Penny Vlagopoulos, provides a critical introduction that explains the fascinating compositional and publication history of On the Road and anchors the text in its historical, political, and social contexts.
©2007 Jack Kerouac (P)2007 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















People who viewed this also viewed...


















Absolutely Incredible
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Even better than the published version
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wonderful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
perfect voice
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
essential audiblechoicethe road goes on foreverlet jack be your guide.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An American classic
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What about John Ventimiglia’s performance did you like?
John Ventimiglia must have listened to the recordings of Kerouac, because he captured Kerouac's voice really well. Kerouac had a funny way of pronouncing words with a double o sound, (doom, gloom) and John nailed it.Any additional comments?
It's worth comparing the scroll with the first-published, edited, and censored version. The scroll is actually a better book.Better version
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
P.S. I loved the narrator’s performance!
An honest classic
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
lovely wild book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Incredible journey made better by the performance
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.