Even though neal cassady s joan anderson letter has still not been published in full, we can reconstruct much of its contents by piecing together like a jigsaw puzzle the various photos that have appeared online of the original typewritten manuscript along with the parts of the letter that have been officially published. A letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac, which inspired the. Oct 16, 2018 in december 1950, jack kerouac received the socalled joan anderson letter from neal cassady. Neal cassadys famous lost letter to jack kerouac to be.
Updated 62616 regular readers of the daily beat need no introduction to the famous joan anderson letter, the oncethoughtlostbutrecentlyfound letter that neal cassady wrote to jack kerouac and jack called the greatest piece of writing he ever saw. He also influenced the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. The letter, referred to as the joan anderson letter after a woman with whom cassady had an. A page from the 1950 letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac, which inspired on the road. In turn, kerouac cited cassady as the main source of inspiration for his spontaneous prose writing style that he modeled after a personal letter cassady had written to him in 1950. Kerouac thought the letter was lost when somebody d. Yet, while the complete text of neal cassadys legendary letter to jack kerouac has yet to be made available to the public, you can read this exclusive excerpt from the joan anderson letter in the latest journal of alta california. You can read about neal cassadys joan anderson letter here, on christies auction house website and here. Gerd stern on neal cassadys joan anderson letter to. May 18, 2016 a rambling 1950 letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac that helped inspire on the road will be auctioned next month by christies in new york, apparently bringing to an end an 18month legal battle over its ownership. In a letter to his friend and lover neal cassady, allen ginsberg discusses kerouacs new book, visions of cody a holy messits great all right but he did everything he could to fuck it up with a lot of meaningless bullshit, as well as his own feelings of emptiness. Cassady was interested in kerouac because he wanted to be a writer, and before the end of the selfdestructive cassady s life, it happened. He was a member of the beat generation circle of writers and poets, of the 1950s and 1960s. Neal leon cassady february 8, 1926 february 4, 1968 was a major figure of the beat generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s he was prominently featured as himself in the scroll first draft version of jack kerouacs novel on the road, and served as the model for the character dean moriarty in the 1957 version of that book.
We are very pleased that the joan anderson letter is at a university, said jami cassady, daughter of neal. New yorkchristies announces the sale of neal cassadys 17 december 1950 joan anderson letter estimate. Neal cassady by david sandison and graham vickers books. Neal cassady, the man who inspired jack kerouacs on the road. Dec 12, 2012 neal cassadys exploits continue to fascinate, and words are the reason. Yet, while the complete text of neal cassady s legendary letter to jack kerouac has yet to be made available to the public, you can read this exclusive excerpt from the joan anderson. The cassady family owns the contents of the 16,000word manuscript. The joan anderson letter neal cassady sensitive skin magazine. A reconstruction of neal cassadys joan anderson letter. He served as the model for the character dean moriarty in jack kerouacs novel on the road. Cassady was interested in kerouac because he wanted to be a writer, and before the end of the selfdestructive cassadys life, it happened. Yet, while the complete text of neal cassadys legendary letter to jack kerouac has yet to be made available to the public, you can read this exclusive excerpt from the joan anderson.
In 1947, a drunk neal cassady wrote a letter to his friend, jack kerouac, describing two sexual encounters. Longlost letter to jack kerouac reaches its final destination. Cassady also inspired more than just kerouacs writing style. Even though neal cassadys joan anderson letter has still not been published in full, we can reconstruct much of its contents by piecing together like a jigsaw puzzle the various photos that have appeared online of the original typewritten manuscript along with the parts of the letter that have been officially published. After his mother died when he was ten, he was raised by. Neal cassady, the man who inspired jack kerouacs on the. Immortalized as dean moriarty by jack kerouac in his epic novel, on the road, neal cassady was infamous for his unstoppable energy and his overwhelming charm. Sep 27, 2017 a page from the 1950 letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac, which inspired on the road. Neal leon cassady was an important figure of the beat generation of the 1950s. Neal cassady the fast life of a beat hero, on the road contains some almost verbatim passages from cassadys letters to kerouac. Beatera figures sexy, literary letter fuels fracas sfgate.
The full text was later found and auctioned under the name the. Immortalized as dean moriarty by jack kerouac in his epic novel, on the road, neal cassady was infamous for his unstoppable energy and his overwhelming charm, his savvy hustle and his devilmaycare attitude. The joan anderson letter, written from neal cassady to jack kerouac, is displayed in its entirety for the first time since being discovered, at the beat museum in san francisco on dec. Typed letter of eighteen pages with autograph content and with autograph additions, deletions, and edits, by hand in pencil and ink. Kerouac later said the letter inspired his new writing style in. Most of the letters from the 1960s are very short and it is sad to see that neal had mostly given up on his writing ambitions by this stage which is a real shame because some of his letters from the 1950s are up there among the best that i have seen among the beats. An excerpt from the joan anderson letter journal of alta. Longlost letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac headed. Lawrence ferlinghetti mantra meditation michael mcclure music naropa neal cassady patti smith peter orlovsky philip whalen robert creeley robert frank. A letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac, which inspired the spontaneous style of on. Neal leon cassady february 8, 1926 february 4, 1968 was a major figure of the beat. You can order a copy of the full joan anderson letter neal cassady sent to jack in 1950 from emory university in atlanta.
The author had struggled to write on the road for more than two years when he received a letter from. Jul 07, 2016 the letter didnt end up selling at auction. He was a close friend of allen ginsberg and jack kerouac, and was the main inspiration. The joan anderson letter uses a type of oral prose language in which the.
Cassady with his friend jack kerouac, whose on the road was inspired by the joan anderson letter. This is known as the joan letter, because its ostensible subject is a girlfriend of cassadys named joan anderson. You can order a copy of the full joan anderson letter neal. Nov 24, 2014 the letter is invaluable, dennis mcnally, a kerouac biographer, told the a. In neal cassady, david sandison and graham vickers describe their subject as a charismatic sociopath, which seems as precise a label as any. A fragment, of less than half of the original, was recovered, and published in early 1964 by john bryan in his literary magazine notes from underground. The last time i committed suicide 1997, with thomas jane as cassady, is based on the joan anderson letter written by cassady to jack kerouac in december 1950. The joan anderson letter revealed kerouacs path to an entirely new approach to writing, first attempted in on the road, then developed and codified into the style he would term spontaneous prose. Emory acquires letter to jack kerouac that inspired on. In december 1950, jack kerouac received the socalled joan anderson letter from neal cassady. Emory acquires letter to jack kerouac that inspired on the. Letter that inspired jack kerouacs on the road goes on sale. An intersectional approach to the work of neal cassady.
Mar 07, 2017 brian hassetts onstage interview with gerd stern at the beat shindig in san francisco about the recently found joan anderson letter that for 50 years he was blamed for losing. I will examine the many texts and letters by neal cassady, and. Viewing cassadys lost joan anderson letter stephanie. I just finished reading neal cassadys the first third. The joan anderson letter, written from neal cassady to jack kerouac, is displayed in its entirety for the first time since being discovered, at the. Jack kerouac bases his character dean moriarty from his novel,on the road on him. Neal cassadys long lost and famous joan anderson letter which for almost 60 years was thought to have been lost in the waters around sausalito has been found and will be auctioned off by a southern california auction house called profiles in history in two weeks. A fragment, of less than half of the original, was recovered, and published in early 1964 by john. Collected letters, 19441967 cassady, neal, moore, dave, cassady, carolyn on. In it he recalled a trip to denver and a dalliance with a joan anderson. Neal cassadys exploits continue to fascinate, and words are the reason. Gerd stern on neal cassadys joan anderson letter to jack.
Cassady was born to maude jean scheuer and neal marshall cassady in salt lake city, utah. Letter that inspired jack kerouacs on the road goes on sale again this article is more than 3 years old. After passing it around among his friends and praising, kerouac dubbed it, the great sex letter. Yet, while the complete text of neal cassadys legendary letter to jack kerouac has yet to be made available to the public, you can read this. The rambling letter by neal cassady that inspired on the road, lost. Neal cassady s long lost and famous joan anderson letter which for almost 60 years was thought to have been lost in the waters around sausalito has been found and will be auctioned off by a southern california auction house called profiles in history in two weeks. Neal s famous 18page joan anderson letter to kerouac of december 1950, which was to inspire the style of the scroll version of on the road, was subsequently lost. On december 23, 1950, neal cassady cemented his place in history when he sent the joan anderson letter to beat writer jack kerouac. Dec 29, 2014 beatera figures sexy, literary letter fuels fracas the onemonth custody battle over a longlost letter to beat generation author jack kerouac from his driving character, neal cassady, has. Release christies announces the sale of neal cassadys. Emory acquires letter to jack kerouac that inspired on the road sept. Longlost cassady letter to kerouac finally finds a home sfgate.
Gerald nicosia, author of the acclaimed kerouac biography memory babe, said the beat handbook is full of jacks heart. Jun 16, 2016 joan anderson letter doesnt sell at christies auction. I should mention that its a lowres scan that saves as a secured. The mythic, longlost 1950 letter that inspired jack kerouacs on the road has been rescued from the dustbin of history literally the 16,000word missive from his friend neal cassady that prompted kerouac to toss his early drafts and rewrite the novel in a propulsive, streamofconsciousness style has resurfaced in a trove of papers tossed by a nowdefunct small press, the.
All kidding aside, i wouldnt joke about a thing like this. Until 2014, much of this letter was thought to have been lost, though an excerpt had been published in a 1964 edition of john bryans magazine notes from underground. Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time. Joan anderson letter archives the allen ginsberg project. Kerouac and cassady estates say not so fast to the auction of infamous joan anderson letter by harriet staff an auction house in southern california, profiles in history, planned to sell the infamous joan anderson letter written by neal cassady to jack kerouac on december 17th. The rambling 19page epistle detailed cassadys sexual exploits with his love joan anderson and several other women. The cost is ten bucks usd, and what you get is a lowres scan that opens for me. Neals famous 18page joan anderson letter to kerouac of december 1950, which was to inspire the style of the scroll version of on the road, was subsequently lost.
Oct 02, 2017 we are very pleased that the joan anderson letter is at a university, said jami cassady, daughter of neal. Letter that inspired jack kerouacs on the road goes on. Cassady spent much of his youth living on the streets with beggars, drinkers and homeless people. Jack kerouac called neal cassadys joan anderson letter the greatest piece of writing i ever saw.
But the letter, or the portion of it that survives the original is lost. Cassadys wild prose was a big influence on kerouacs writing and this letter really caught his imagination. New yorkchristies announces the sale of neal cassady s 17 december 1950 joan anderson letter estimate. Jared randall, author of the excellent book of poetry, apocryphal road code, said this about the beat handbook. The actual partial autobiography, which takes up the first 80 pages, is interesting because it gives us a firsthand view of neals childhood with his dysfunctional family headed by his saintly alcoholic father. The joan anderson letter neal cassady sensitive skin. Brian hassetts onstage interview with gerd stern at the beat shindig in san francisco about the recently found joan anderson letter that for 50. Even though neal cassadys joan anderson letter has still not been published. Apr 25, 2018 in turn, kerouac cited cassady as the main source of inspiration for his spontaneous prose writing style that he modeled after a personal letter cassady had written to him in 1950.
Dec 02, 2014 the joan anderson letter, written from neal cassady to jack kerouac, is displayed in its entirety for the first time since being discovered, at the beat museum in san francisco on dec. Longlost letter that inspired on the road style has. The first third collects all of the writing cassady is known to have produced. The majority of neals letters in this collection are from the 1950s. The original letter, sent to jack kerouac, is dated december 17 1950 and. A reconstruction of neal cassadys joan anderson letter reddit. Nov 24, 2014 longlost letter that inspired on the road style has been found known as the joan anderson letter, the 18page, singlespaced, stream of consciousness note from neal cassady to jack kerouac.
The compulsive and charismatic neal cassady played a powerful role in kerouacs finding his voice as a writer. The reallife model for this character was neal cassady, whom kerouac and allen ginsberg met in 1947 in new york. Longlost letter from neal cassady to jack kerouac headed to. His mother died when he was ten, and he was raised by his alcoholic father in denver, colorado. It inspired kerouac greatly in the direction he wanted to travel, which was this spontaneous style of writing contained in a letter that had just boiled out of neal cassadys brain. Neal cassady february 8, 1926 february 4, 1968 was an american writer. May 19, 2016 letter that inspired jack kerouacs on the road goes on sale again this article is more than 3 years old. Written by kerouacs friend and fellow beat icon neal cassady and long considered lost before it resurfaced in 2012, the joan anderson letter named for a girlfriend of cassadys mentioned in it will be on display during a public exhibition opening. Joan anderson letter doesnt sell at christies auction. Kerouac later said the letter inspired his new writing style in on the road. Written by kerouacs friend and fellow beat icon neal cassady and long considered lost before it resurfaced in 2012, the joan anderson letter named for a girlfriend of cassadys mentioned in it will be on display during a public exhibition opening sept. Kerouac thought the letter was lost when somebody dropped it over the side of a houseboat in sausalito. Longlost letter that inspired on the road style has been found known as the joan anderson letter, the 18page, singlespaced, stream of consciousness note from neal cassady to.
The golden goose press archive profiles in history. In 1950 neal cassady chocked down mouthfuls of speed and wrote a 16,000 words, 18page letter to hgis friend jack kerouac. The holy grail of beat writing rises from its watery grave. The greatest piece of writing i ever saw features neal cassady. The full text was later found and auctioned under the name the joan anderson letter in 2017. To say weve been eager to finally read the heretofore unpublished portions of the joan anderson letter would be a profoundly absurd understatement.