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Article: Readers head down Jack Kerouac's `On the Road' again as the book turns 50.
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- August 29, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Alfred Lubrano
From its start, America was a westward-leaning country.
The notion that a person could always head west to pursue his dreams, find himself, or start over is a basic tenet of American myth and tradition.
For Jack Kerouac, the idea of staying in motion on a westward trajectory was vital to his survival as a person and a writer.
The novel that described his urgent, high-energy journeys, "On the Road," was published 50 years ago Sept. 5.
The anniversary is prompting appreciations _ and reinvigorating old criticisms _ of a book many say defined the 1950s Beat generation and served as a template for hipster ...