So the legendary Kerouac On The Road scroll goes up for sale again – to be auctioned next month at Christie’s – see here.
The document, “one of the Beat Generation’s defining artefacts”, will be part of a wider sale of pieces auctioned off from the monumental and extraordinary Jim Irsay Collection. (Irsay passed away in May of last year)
The scroll will be offered at a live auction in New York on March 12, (part of one of a series of four sales), with a proposed sales estimate of 2.5 to 4 million dollars, (alongside it, the original typescript scroll of Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, estimated to sell for between three- hundred and five-hundred-thousand dollars)!
Heather Weintraub, specialist in the Christie’s books and manuscripts department is quoted:
“This is the original and only scroll for the first draft of Kerouac’s masterpiece..It is widely considered to be the most iconic artifact of the Beat Generation, (and) one of the most celebrated artefacts in American literature. This scroll is one of the most important literary documents still in private hands.”
And there lies the rub. The sale presents something of a deja-vu. In 2001, when the manuscript was last offered for sale by Christie’s, many, notably “Dean Moriarty”‘s widow, Carolyn Cassady, denounced the auction as “blasphemy”, arguing that the scroll belonged in a public library rather than a private collection. “Jack loved public libraries,” she said at the time, adding, “If they auction it, anybody rich could buy it and keep it out of sight.”
“I personally hope that a public institution will buy it so it can be seen by everyone,” Weintraub declares. “But we can also hope that if someone (privately) buys it they will follow Jim Irsay’s example and show it publicly” (which he did) –” he toured it around for years.”
We can indeed hope. The New York Public Library has, as we know, a (the) extensive Kerouac archive
“Nearly 400 items from the Jim Irsay Collection will be exhibited free to the public at Christie’s Rockefeller Plaza galleries from 6 to 12 March, preceding the auctions. Other highlights from the 12 March sale include Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics for “Hey Jude”, an affidavit filed by McCartney in 1970 to dissolve the Beatles with annotations by John Lennon, Sylvester Stallone’s handwritten Rocky script notebook, and Jim Morrison’s journal.”
Speaking of Kerouac, two new posthumous Kerouac titles scheduled from Sal Paradise Press. Just out – On The Road With On The Road by Carl Moore – “A photographic accompaniment to On the Road by Jack Kerouac”
“Robert Frank’s The Americans redefined photography in 1959 and inspired Carl Moore to hit the road with Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Like Frank, Moore sought to reveal America to Americans—capturing the landscapes, faces, and fleeting moments that echo Kerouac’s metaphorical vision.
From Denver, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to a cross-country drive with his son from Santa Fe to New England, Moore retraces Sal Paradise’s footsteps with his Nikon in hand. The result is a vivid, contemporary counterpart to Kerouac’s masterpiece—where the photographs themselves feel restless, alive, and haunted by the same hunger for the open road.”
And, available in the Spring – Some Day We’ll Build Cabins – “A book of letters revealing the inner desires and turmoils of Jack Kerouac after his rise to literary acclaim in the 1960s.”,a collection of letters written by Jack Kerouac, Jacques Beckwith, and Lois Sorrells Beckwith (edited by Bill Morgan)
“In 1960, Jack Kerouac began a correspondence with New York artist Jacques Beckwith. Their shared vision: to build cabins in the woods, retreats from a world of war, dishonesty, and literary pressure. Kerouac wrote, “I want to live in the woods where I don’t even have to think about this evil world of wars and dishonesties.”
But while Beckwith realized his dream, Kerouac was thwarted by alcoholism, lawsuits, constant travel, marital strife, and the burden of caring for his mother. These letters reveal the deeply human side of the Beat legend – his frustrations, distractions, and restless longing for peace.”
Lois Sorrells (Lois Sorrells Beckwith) you may remember from this – (and check out – this)
“Ginsberg, Ginsberg, burning bright,/ Taunter of the ultra right,/ What blink of the Buddha’s eye/ Chose the day for you to die?” – Formalist poet X.J.Kennedy who penned these lines passed away this week, aged a venerable 96 – Finger-cymbaled, chanting Om,/Foe of fascist, bane of bomb” – Read the rest of that poem – here – Read his obituary notice – here
Neal Cassady Centennial – born February 8 – 100 years this weekend. Check out the Allen Ginsberg Project’s celebration of Neal Cassady upcoming tomorrow and Sunday