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thanks so much matty for posting about jack kerouac, i got a couple of things wrong on my post, (my friend bodhi, who is a jack kerouac fan, set me right) actually the lost generation was the generation of the 1920' and 1930's, during the depression in america, and jack kerouac wasn't a beatnic, he just started the beat generation. so anyway, i'm asking bodhi to come aboard here and help us get our data straight on the great jack kerouc.

here is another american writer that influenced my life so much. when i first read "the call of the Wild", as a very young child in the middle 1950's, i was so excited about jack london's travel's to the alaskan Klondike during the gold rush period. i read every book of jack london's i could. here is a biography of this great explorer and wanderer, jack london:
angel

Jack London The Writer

Once Jack had resolved himself to succeed as an author, his diligent habits and innate skills catapulted him far beyond most of his literary peers in both perspective and content. By following a strict writing regimen of 1,000 words a day, he was able to produce a huge quantity of high quality work over a period of eighteen years.

Jack had become the best-selling, highest paid and most popular American author of his time. He was prolific: fifty-one of his books and hundreds of his articles had been published. He had written thousands of letters. Many additional works have been published posthumously. His most notable books include The Call of the Wild (originally entitled ?The Sleeping Wolf?) which was published in 1903, The Iron Heel, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf (originally entitled ?Mercy of the Sea?), The People of the Abyss (a sociological treatise about the slums of London, England), John Barleycorn, Martin Eden, and The Star Rover. His short story, ?To Build A Fire?, is considered to be an all-time classic. His writings have been translated in several dozen languages and to this day continue to be widely read throughout the world.

This American literary genius brilliantly and compassionately portrayed his life and times, as well as the neverending struggles of man and nature. Millions of avid readers have been thrilled by his stories of adventure. Authors and social advocates have been inspired by his heartfelt prose. Nevertheless, many of his life experiences were more exciting than his fiction.

Jack London . . . The Sailor

No man has ever loved to sail more than Jack London. Even as a very young boy, fishing with his stepfather in small boats, his head would fill with visions of tropical islands and faraway places. As he grew up, he occasionally rented boats with money earned from his many part-time jobs. At fifteen, with the financial assistance of ?Aunt Jenny? Prentiss, Jack bought a sloop, the Razzle Dazzle, in order to escape the life of the ?work beast?. He became an illegal oyster pirate, and before long, had earned the title of ?Prince of the Oyster Pirates?; he made more money in one week than he was able to earn in his first full year as a professional writer. Realizing that the life of an oyster pirate frequently ended in prison or death, he reformed and became a California Fish Patrol deputy.

During his lifetime, Jack sailed on a variety of ships including: the sealing schooner Sophia Sutherland to Japan (on which he served as an able-bodied seaman); on the steamship SS Umatilla and the City of Topeka (to Alaska); the RMS Majestic (to England); the SS Siberia (as correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War); took a sampan to Korea; bought and sailed the Spray; designed, built, and sailed the Snark [named after the humoresque Lewis Carroll story] to Hawaii and the South Seas; returned from Tahiti to San Francisco on the SS Mariposa; sailed on the ketch Minota near Tahiti; sailed from Australia to Ecuador on the Tymeric; cruised on the San Francisco Bay and environs in the Roamer; sailed from Seattle to California on the City of Pueblo; sailed on the Dirigo from New York to San Francisco by way of Cape Horn; took the US Army transport Kilpatrick to Mexico (to write about the Mexican Revolution); sailed on fishing boats; stayed on a houseboat; visited the hospital ship USS Solace, the repair ship USS Vestal, and the battleships New York, Arkansas, and Mississippi; returned to Galveston on the transport Ossabow; sailed to Hawaii on the Matsonia; and returned to California on the SS Sonoma.

Jack London . . . The Gold Prospector

Overcome with ?Klondike fever,? Jack departed from San Francisco on the SS Umatilla on July 25, 1897, accompanied and bankrolled by his much older brother-in-law, Captain Shepard, who returned home after only two days on the rugged Alaska trails. With nearly 2,000 pounds of required equipment ? including warm garments, food, mining implements, tents, blankets, Klondike stoves, and a copy of Miner Bruce?s Alaska, Jack entered the Yukon Territory by way of the Dyea River and the notorious Chilkoot Pass.

Jack moved into a cabin and staked a claim on Henderson Creek in early November of 1897, after a month of prospecting. During the long winter which followed, he became well-known to his fellow prospectors for his storytelling ability.

In May 1898, he developed a severe case of scurvy from lack of fresh fruit and vegetables; he could no longer work his claim. Desperately needing immediate medical attention, he anxiously awaited the melting of the ice blocking the Yukon River. He eventually did receive some medical help but was advised to return home. On June 28, he arrived in St. Michael, after making his way in a small boat down 1,500 miles of the Yukon River. From St. Michael, he sailed home.

Jack London gained a tremendous amount of insight and perspective while in Alaska and the Klondike [in Canada]. Although he had not discovered much gold, he had uncovered a Mother Lode of experience from which he would draw material for his future novels and stories.

Upon his return to Oakland, California, he discovered that his stepfather, John London, had died. At the age of 22, he now shouldered the responsibility of supporting his mother and his stepnephew. Despite tackling every job opening possible, he could not find steady work. In desperation, he sold many of his belongings and dove into writing. He was talented and prolific, yet at first all of his manuscripts were rejected. In early December 1898, he sold his first short story, an Alaskan tale entitled, ?To The Man On Trail?. His writing career was launched.

Jack London . . . the Rancher

?I ride over my beautiful ranch. Betwen my legs is a beautiful horse.
The air is wine. The grapes on a score of rolling hills are red with autumn flame.
Across Sonoma Mountain, wisps of sea fog are stealing.
The afternoon sun smolders in the drowsy sky.
I have everything to make me glad I am alive.?

In 1905, while living with Charmian at Wake Robin Lodge in Glen Ellen, California, Jack London decided to settle permanently in the Valley of the Moon. In June, he purchased his first piece of real estate ? the Hill Ranch ? 130 beautiful acres of trees, fields, springs, streams, canyons, hills, and abundant wildlife. After six additional land purchases, Jack London?s ?Beauty Ranch? eventually totaled 1,400 acres and consisted of seven parcels of land bought between 1905 and 1913.

Jack loved ranch life. At Beauty Ranch, he raised many animals such as prize bulls, horses, and pigs. He cultivated a wide variety of crops, including forty acres of wine grapes which were formerly part of the Kohler-Frohling Winery. By damming a stream that crossed the property, Jack built a lake for irrigation and recreation. He introduced terracing and green water mulching. He produced record yields of oat hay on acreage that had been considered overfarmed. He experimented with innovative ideas such as growing spineless cactus, which was developed by his friend, the ?Plant Wizard?, Luther Burbank (who lived in nearby Santa Rosa), for use as a cattle feed in arid regions; unfortunately, the cactus was not completely spineless and could not be used for feed. He imported thousands of Australian eucalyptus trees hoping the wood could be used for hardwood lumber and pier pilings, but the wood was found to be too soft. Jack?s ?Pig Palace? was the showplace of the county. It allowed one man to feed up to two hundred hogs. And, his ranch?s concrete silos were the first in California.

The ranch was also the building site for the majestic Wolf House. Constructed completely with native redwood trees, locally-quarried boulders, volcanic rock and blue slate, Wolf House took more than two years to build. Only a few days before Jack and Charmian were to move in, the house tragically burned due to spontaneous combustion caused by a careless oversight by a workman; only the walls were left standing.

You can visit and enjoy Jack London?s Beauty Ranch today. It is now a California State Historic Park which includes the House of Happy Walls museum, the Pig Palace, Jack London?s grave, the Lake, the Wolf House ruins, and more.

To read: A Chronology of Jack London?s Life . . . click here.
It is difficult to include all the events that occurred in Jack London?s life, especially the publication dates of all the books, articles, jokes, essays, and other writings, but we think you?ll find this to be one of the most complete ? and accurate ? chronologies in existence. It is an excerpt from The Wit and Wisdom of Jack London. Find out more details about this book at our Bookstore.

Text ? 1990 and 1999 by WORDSWORTH?. All rights reserved.

The information about Jack London above is primarily taken from
the Jack London Commemorative Color Bookmark Set, available in our Bookstore.

"Kerouac is considered by some as the "King of the Beatniks" as well as the "Father of the Hippies"."

"Shortly before his death Kerouac told interviewer Joseph Lelyveld of the New York Times, "I'm not a beatnik. I'm a Catholic." After pointing to a painting of Pope Paul VI, Kerouac noted, "You know who painted that? Me.""

Check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac for more info on Jack Kerouac.
Love.

My boy Finny has dropped the Top 5 Drunken/Crazy/Stupid things to happen during a bar gig. Czech:

http://www.ineedmorecowbell.com/blog/

Drop a comment - I did and it brought back quite the memories.
Big Love.

What is Bob Dylan saying about the music of the last 20 years? Find out in this month's edition of TheMusicalRevolution.Com newsletter. It won't surprise you - let's just put it that way.
Big Love.

there's a great article in the latest Rolling Stones Magazine about Bob Dylan, he seems to be making a "return" to popularity by the younger generation. Still love his music, mainly his stuff from the 60's.
angel

hey ya all, wasn't sure where to post this, just wanted to say drop on by "myspace" and check out pictures of me and my man, ect on:

http://www.myspace.com/hippiewoman

is anyone here into "myspace"? i love it, cool to make your own website and music, videos, etc.
peace to all
angel

matty,totally agree with you about bob dylan, he is a real trippy dude, i got the movie "no direction home" about his life and i never knew he didn't want to be part of the 60's peace movement, he just sorta got elected, but he never was into it, we thought he was a prophet back then. but he deff is a hard dude to figure out, but i like him and i love his music, if it helps the musicians then i won't put him down for the i-pod commercials. hey maybe he needs the money to make a boat payment, lol
angel