Big Sur
KEROUAC
The shattering new work by the most prodigiously talented writer of our generation, “His grittiest book. . . sensual and uninhibited” The New York Times
BIG SUR
A NIGHTMARE SUMMER
DULUOZ—The King of the Beatniks—tortured, broken idol of a whole generation; great, modern sex god who just wanted to be alone with his cat; all-time boozer of the century who was slowly drinking himself out of his mind.
BILLIE—his fashion-model mistress who knew every dirty trick in the book. Duluoz was her man, meal ticket and stud rolled up into one, and she wasn’t going to let him get away from her no matter what!
ELLIOT—Billie’s son—he saw things that would make any adult flinch.
AND
BIG SUR—the lonely, wild, surf-pounded shore where Duluoz went to hide; where the world tracked him down and made its final attempt to destroy him
“HONESTY AND NAKEDNESS”
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
Books by Jack Kerouac
On the Road
The Subterraneans
Dharma Bums
BIG SUR
JACK KEROUAC
This low-priced Bantam Book
has been completely reset in a type face
designed for easy reading, and was
printed from new plates. It contains the complete
text of the original hard-cover edition.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED
BIG SUR
A Bantam Book / published by arrangment with
Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, Inc.
Printing History
Farrar, Straus edition published September 1962
Bantam edition published September 1963
Back cover photo courtesy of Brown Bros.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1962 by Jack Kerouac.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form,
by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing.
For information address: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, Inc.,
19 Union Square W., New York 3, N. Y.
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada.
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, Inc. Its trade-mark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a bantam, is registered in the United States Patent Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Printed in the United States of America. Bantam Books, Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York 16, N. Y.
My work comprises one vast book like Proust’s except that my remembrances are written on the run instead of afterwards in a sick bed. Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work. On the Road, The Subterraneans, The Dharma Bums, Doctor Sax, Maggie Cassidy, Tristessa, Desolation Angels, Visions of Cody and the others including this book Big Sur are just chapters in the whole work which I call The Duluoz Legend. In my old age I intend to collect all my work and re-insert my pantheon of uniform names, leave the long shelf full of books there, and die happy. The whole thing forms one enormous comedy, seen through the eyes of poor Ti Jean (me), otherwise known as Jack Duluoz, the world of raging action and folly and also of gentle sweetness seen through the keyhole of his eye.
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Sea
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was legally published within the United States (or the United Nations Headquarters in New York subject to Section 7 of the United States Headquarters Agreement) before 1964, and copyright was not renewed.
- For Class A renewals records (books only) published between 1923 and 1963, check the Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database.
- For other renewal records of publications between 1922–1950 see the University of Pennsylvania copyright records scans.
- For all records since 1978, search the U.S. Copyright Office records.
- See also the Rutgers copyright renewal records for further information.
Works published in 1962 would have had to renew their copyright in either 1989 or 1990, i.e. at least 27 years after they were first published/registered but not later than 31 December in the 28th year. As this work's copyright was not renewed, it entered the public domain on 1 January 1991.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1969, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 54 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
It is imperative that contributors search the renewal databases and ascertain that there is no evidence of a copyright renewal before using this license. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the work as a copyright violation.
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