Jack Kerouac (1922 - 1969) Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 -
October 21, 1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet,
artist, and one of the most prominent members of the Beat
Generation. His writings, most of which were autobiographical,
revolved most of the time around his own adventures throughout
the world, and also around some of his own ponderings and
reflections that ensued during the course of his life. Most of
his life was spent in the vast landscapes of America and with
the people that live among them. Faced with a fast-changing
America, Kerouac sought to find his place in this climate and
tried to effect a change, bringing him to reject the values of
the fifties that celebrated growing consumerism and the new
suburban lifestyle, among many other things. His writings
actually often reflect a profound desire to break free from
society's mold and to try to find a deeper meaning to life,
which eventually led him to start experimenting with different
drugs (he once tried psilocybin with Timothy Leary), to