Jack Kerouac often mentioned his beginnings as a writer. He told us about the nickel-notebook novels he wrote at eleven years old. We are indebted to him for preserving his manuscripts and papers. Of everyone I must thank for help in preparing this book, Kerouac is the first person to acknowledge; it is his book.
Under the guidance of the late Stella (Sampas) Kerouac and now her brother John Sampas, who represents her estate in literary matters, almost as many books by Kerouac have been released as were published in his lifetime. Working with Sterling Lord, Jack Kerouac’s literary agent, John Sampas has overseen the publication of many Kerouac books since the early 1990s, a period of renewed critical interest in Kerouac’s work. I thank him for welcoming this collaborative project and sharing his knowledge about the Sampas family, young Kerouac, and Lowell’s culture. I thank Jim Sampas for his spirited day-to-day work on behalf of Kerouac’s art, and I acknowledge the support of the late Mrs. Kerouac. I also thank Anthony M. Sampas for compiling the story of his late uncle Sebastian Sampas.
I am grateful to Sterling Lord for his support and essential advice and to the staff at Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., for their assistance. I thank editor Paul Slovak of Viking Penguin, whose insight and sure editorial hand were enormously important in bringing this book to the world. Thanks also to the Viking Penguin team for first-rate production and promotion. To editor David Stanford: Thank you for your enthusiasm for this book—and my first literary lunch in Manhattan.
Working with Jack Kerouac’s papers was the culmination of my thirty years of involvement with his life and literature. I first heard his name at Dracut High School in 1970 from my friend Paul Brouillette, who had asked his parents about Kerouac after the author’s funeral in Lowell in October 1969. In 1954 my parents, the late Marcel and Doris (Roy) Marion, began raising me at 67 Orleans Street, on the hill of Doctor Sax, just a few doors from Kerouac’s birthplace, 9 Lupine Road. We were Franco-Americans, French Canadian—Americans, sharing the same parish in the Centralville section of Lowell. My mother and Jean-Louis Kérouac had been classmates at St. Louis de France School, and my father, older than Kerouac, had attended St. Joseph’s School at the same time as Jack. My parents would have been pleased to see this book, and I thank them for everything.
Several Kerouac relatives, friends, and associates shared their memories with me, some recently and others long ago: David Amram, James Curtis, Anthony Francisco, Mary Hogan, the late Robert (“Pete”) Houde, Julien Marion, Stanley Polak, Roland Salvas, Demosthenes Samaras, Mary Sampas, and Anthony G. Sampatacacus (Sampas). I also thank two veteran interpreters of Kerouac: Roger Brunelle and Brian Foye.
Special thanks go to Jane Brox, Jack McDonough, and John Suiter for their editorial expertise. For professional and personal support, I thank George Chigas, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, Scott Glidden, Jim Higgins, Ruth Page, and Joan Ross. From the University of Massachusetts Lowell, I thank Mary Lou Hubbell and Christine McKenna, as well as faculty members Jay Atkinson, Dean Bergeron, Jim Coates, Joyce Denning, Matt Donahue, Hilary Holladay, and Charles Nikitopoulos.
For various kinds of help, I thank Clementine Alexis, Douglas Brinkley, Maurice Comtois, David Daniel, Doug DeNatale, Tom Gooden, Rev. Seamus Finn, Sister Carmen Foley, Joseph J. Foley, Laura Foley, Susan O‘Brien Lemire, Armand P. Mercier, Helena Minton, Marian O’Brien, Ray and Rosanne Riddick, and the late Senator Paul E. Tsongas. For long-term encouragement, I thank Ro and Lew Corbin-Teich, Bob Dionne, Doug Flaherty, Ray and Bernadette LaPorte, Eric Linder, and Julie and Tom Mofford.
I am grateful for research assistance from the staffs of the City of Lowell’s Pollard Memorial Library, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Museum of Liverpool Life, the University of Massachusetts Lowell Library, and the Widener Library at Harvard University; Martha Mayo of the Center for Lowell History at the University of Massachusetts Lowell; Renate Olsen of the Regis College Library; and Rodney Phillips, Curator of the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature of the New York Public Library.
My wife, Rosemary Noon, was a patient listener and an insightful reader throughout. My love and endless gratitude go to Rosemary and our son, Joseph Patrick Marion, for their love and understanding. My brother Richard and his wife, Florence, and my brother David and his wife, Dianne, provided a second tier of strong support. Thanks to Eric Marion, John Marion, Philip Marion, and Stephen Marion as well. I offer special thanks to my wife’s parents, Richard and Mary (Foley) Noon, whose encouragement and counsel are invaluable. Thanks also to Lionel and Rolande Patenaude, Roger and Estelle Mann, “Doc” and Rita Michaels, Joan Roy, Tom Brady, Nancy Mann, Rita Marion, and the keeper of Rosemont memories, Florence Y. Marion.
FOR THE BEST IN PAPERBACKS, LOOK FOR THE
In every corner of the world, on every subject under the sun, Penguin represents quality and variety—the very best in publishing today.
For complete information about books available from Penguin—including Penguin Classics, Penguin Compass, and Puffins—and how to order them, write to us at the appropriate address below. Please note that for copyright reasons the selection of books varies from country to country.
In the United States: Please write to Penguin Group (USA), P.O. Box 12289 Dept. B, Newark, New Jersey 07101-5289 or call 1-800-788-6262.
In the United Kingdom: Please write to Dept. EP, Penguin Books Ltd, Bath Road, Harmondsworth, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 ODA.
In Canada: Please write to Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2.
In Australia: Please write to Penguin Books Australia Ltd, P.O. Box 257, Ringwood, Victoria 3134.
In New Zealand: Please write to Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Private Bag 102902, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland 10.
In India: Please write to Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Panchsheel Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017.
In the Netherlands: Please write to Penguin Books Netherlands bv, Postbus 3507, NL-1001 AH Amsterdam.
In Germany: Please write to Penguin Books Deutschland GmbH, Metzlerstrasse 26, 60594 Frankfurt am Main.
In Spain: Please write to Penguin Books S. A., Bravo Murillo 19, 1 ° B, 28015 Madrid.
In Italy: Please write to Penguin Italia s.r.l., Via Benedetto Croce 2, 20094 Corsico, Milano.
In France: Please write to Penguin France, Le Carré Wilson, 62 rue Benjamin Baillaud, 31500 Toulouse.
In Japan: Please write to Penguin Books Japan Ltd, Kaneko Building, 2-3-25 Koraku, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 112.
In South Africa: Please write to Penguin Books South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Private Bag X14, Parkview, 2122 Johannesburg.
Jack Kerouac, Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings
(Series: # )
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends