On the Scroll

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”~Jack Kerouac

More often than not, it seems, literary legend actually has a shred (or roll) of truth to it. One such occasion is when it comes to Jack Kerouac's draft of On the Road. Written in three weeks, the draft was typed almost nonstop on a 120-foot roll of paper.

Legend, and history, has it that Kerouac, who typed about 100 words a minute, replaced regular sheets of paper in his typewriter with a continuous paper roll so as to not interrupt his creative flow. Thanks to Youtube (the bloggers gift of inspiration that keeps on giving) embedded below is footage of the actual scroll as it is being prepped for display. Apparently this literary artifact occasionally travels around being shared with Kerouac's many admirers. It is often said that "art doesn't die, artists do" and as a piece of literary history and art, it would certainly be impressive (if not inspiring) to have the opportunity to check out this scroll.



During the past few days, while waiting in the hospital with my wife, I have been beginning to re-read Kerouac's The Dharma Bums which, in part, fleshes out Jack's relationship with Gary (in the novel "Japhy") Snyder. Throughout the book Jack and Gary discuss their individual "brands" of Buddhism. Of course much of Buddhist philosophical history, as referenced by both "characters," is captured on ancient scrolls (or mountain sides).

Now, ironically, On the Road in original scroll form is too, part of the ages, just as Kerouac's words and images are.