Classics · LightAfter a divorce, Sal Paradise meets Dean Moriarty and begins travelling across the United States with him
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
Two friends and their circle travel across the United States and into Mexico
Sal Paradise narrates; he is based on Kerouac. After a divorce, he meets Dean Moriarty, who is based on Neal Cassady, and begins traveling across the United States and into Mexico with him and their friends between 1947 and 1950. The story follows their pursuit of freedom, jazz and new experiences, and their friendship strains over time. Viking Press published it on September 5, 1957.
More about this book
Who
Sal Paradise, who narrates, and Dean Moriarty.
World
New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and Mexico, 1947 to 1950.
What makes it different
Kerouac typed the first draft in three weeks in April 1951 on a continuous scroll about 120 feet long. Viking published the scroll version in 2007.
Feel
Restless and fast-moving.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- On the RoadWikipedia