An Evening for Jack Kerouac
Monday 17 September 2007
18.30 - 20.00
British Library Conference Centre
On 17 September 2007, the British Library presents a tribute to American author Jack Kerouac, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of his seminal novel, On the Road. In association with Penguin Books.
An Evening for Jack Kerouac comprises readings, music, film, and conversation. Taking part will be Carolyn Cassady, wife of Kerouac's long-term associate and inspiration, Neal Cassady, and prominent American composer and musician David Amram, who collaborated with Kerouac; with readings by American actor and comic Mike McShane, best known for his appearances in hit TV series, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Other contributors will include Howard Cunnell, editor of the new edition of On the Road being published by Penguin Books, and Steve Turner, author of Jack Kerouac: Angelheaded Hipster. The even t is preceded by a special screening of Pull My Daisy, a film created by Robert Frank, with spontaneous narration by Kerouac and music by Amram.
On the Road is one of the top five bestselling Penguin Modern Classics, selling over 35,000 copies a year in the UK alone. In its lifetime, it has sold over 5 million copies. The novel is one of the most influential works of American literature, written down in a sustained burst-and typed on a single, 120ft "scroll" of paper-over just three weeks in a New York City loft in 1951. The manuscript was finally published in 1957, and reflected the author's fascination with drugs, jazz, poetry, and cross-country travel. It also made Kerouac a prominent, if unwilling icon of the counter-culture; his legend continues to inspire generations of poets, writers, and artists to this day.
For further information about An Evening for Jack Kerouac, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
To mark the 50th anniversary, On the Road: The Original Scroll will be published in hardback by Penguin Classics on 5th September 2007, priced £25. For further information contact Preena Gadher on +44 (0)20 7010 3466 or preena.gadher@uk.penguingroup.com. Or see www.penguinclassics.co.uk
Editors Notes
An Evening for Jack Kerouac
Monday 17 September 18.30-21.00 (with film screening at 17:30)
The British Library Conference Centre, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Tickets £10 (£7.50 concessions) available at http://boxoffice.bl.uk or on +44 (0)1937 546546.
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