Visions of Gerard. Doctor Sax. Maggie Cassidy

Jack Kerouac (Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac, 1922–1969) – a writer of an era, a paradoxical writer, who sowed the wind and did not have time to truly realize that he had reaped the storm, which has not calmed even in our times. Coming from a destitute family of French aristocrats, he became the voice of protesting American youth and introduced young American intellectuals to Buddhism. “My most serious, sad, and true book,” Kerouac referred to “Visions of Gerard,” his first novel from the autobiographical cycle “Legends of Duluoz,” a novel written in memory of his beloved older brother, who lived a very short but happy life, leaving an indelible mark on young Jack’s heart. In “Doctor Sax,” we meet him as a teenager. Tumultuous escapades with friends are interspersed with dreams and fantasies, the main character of which is a mysterious figure in a billowing cloak and wide-brimmed hat, the night ghost Doctor Sax, called to defeat the World Evil in the form of the Great Cosmic Serpent. And finally, “Maggie Cassidy” – a poignant, bright, and youthfully passionate tale of first love.