Kerouac's On the Road scroll coming to Birmingham, UK

COMING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - BARBER INSTITUTE

The Famous 1951 Scroll Manuscript of Jack Kerouac's On the Road Exhibition
dates: 3 December 2008 - 27 January 2009.

An exhibition featuring the original typescript manuscript of On the Road -
the world-famous On the Road scroll of 1951, timed to coincide with the
fiftieth anniversary of the book's publication in the UK (1958).

Much of the fame of On the Road resides in large part in the way the first
full version of the novel was composed. Jack Kerouac undertook three weeks
almost non-stop typing on eight sheets of teletype paper taped together to
form a continuous roll of paper 127 feet long-so that he did not have to
pause to feed new paper into his typewriter, in order to preserve better the
rush of his inspiration. The result was a particular 'spontaneous' style
marked by energy, vitality and directness. The text that resulted is based
on Kerouac's autobiographical experiences and, unlike the published version,
does not disguise the protagonists under pseudonyms. Thus William Burroughs,
Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, etc., are all directly named. The scroll
consequently has acquired iconic cultural status.

Jack Kerouac remains one of the best-known and most popular post-war US
writers, one with a truly global reputation. His books remain in print
throughout the world. His popularity spreads worldwide. His most famous
book, On the Road, is generally regarded as the founding text of the
so-called Beat Generation a movement which featured such figures as Allen
Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso and Lawrence
Ferlinghetti.