neal cassady (february 8, 1926 - february 4, 1968) was an american writer. he was a member of the beat generation circle of writers and poets, of the 1950s and 1960s. he was a close friend of allen ginsberg and jack kerouac, and was the main inspiration behind kerouac's breakthrough novel "on the road". later he was the bus driver of ken kesey's "merry pranksters", during the hippie era.