Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings

Rating:
Summary: atop an underwood
Review: a good book into the mind set of a young JK. It takes you into the young mind of JK and lets you see how this excellent writer started. Alot of short stories of how jack got into writing and we all know the results of those young days. A must of a JK fan and a good book to have in your own JK library

steve

Rating:
Summary: Table Scraps
Review: I like Kerouac and I thought it would be interesting to read a book of his early attempts at writing, but this book turned out to be a heap of garbage that would never have gotten published if there wasn't a famous name and picture on the cover. Even Kerouac himself said this stuff wasn't worth reading. I'm surprised they didn't print his grocery lists and the doodles he scribled on napkins. They must be saving that for the next book, "Things we collected from Kerouac's waste basket." This sort of thing happens all the time and its sad... Anyway, I gave this book an extra star because I seem to remember at least one or two of the pieces being at least mildly interesting. I don't recall which ones.

Rating:
Summary: Atop an Underwood
Review: Jack Kerouac, with the printing of larger title books (On the Road, Dharma Bums, Desolation Angels...) gained a reputation as the "king" or "father" of the beatniks. A title and position that Kerouac never wanted or ever really accepted. Amidst the caucophenous roar of America in the night with drugs and sex and bachnallian carnality, Kerouac recieved a bad rap as the inventor or sponsor of such activities. While in his life Kerouac did partake in many such things, he was original and utterly different than the dull literary and social scene surrounding he and his friends. Atop an Underwood, I believe, takes us back to when Kerouac was at possibly the height of his burgeoning fascination with the world and those who inhabited it. With prose and poetry alike, Jack allows us into a younger and more lucid, albeit less experienced mind. This book lets us plainly see what Kerouac truly wanted for his life and what he deemed of great enough import to spend so many years perfecting. A very important collection for anyone serious about not only Kerouac the writer, but Kerouac the man.

Rating:
Summary: Atop an Underwood
Review: Jack Kerouac, with the printing of larger title books (On the Road, Dharma Bums, Desolation Angels...) gained a reputation as the "king" or "father" of the beatniks. A title and position that Kerouac never wanted or ever really accepted. Amidst the caucophenous roar of America in the night with drugs and sex and bachnallian carnality, Kerouac recieved a bad rap as the inventor or sponsor of such activities. While in his life Kerouac did partake in many such things, he was original and utterly different than the dull literary and social scene surrounding he and his friends. Atop an Underwood, I believe, takes us back to when Kerouac was at possibly the height of his burgeoning fascination with the world and those who inhabited it. With prose and poetry alike, Jack allows us into a younger and more lucid, albeit less experienced mind. This book lets us plainly see what Kerouac truly wanted for his life and what he deemed of great enough import to spend so many years perfecting. A very important collection for anyone serious about not only Kerouac the writer, but Kerouac the man.

Rating:
Summary: Potrait - as a young man...
Review: My review is a combination of previous reviews. A lot of these writings are pretty rough, and you could probably find stories of comparable quality in your local college publications ("Where can I find my soul? / In solitude said my friend, in solitude. / Yes. I have found my soul in solitude"). But there are some oustanding pieces, and some great turns of phrase, that separate Kerouac from all other writers his age. He is uninhibited here, which sporatically gives the readers glimpses of the brilliance to come. One of my favorite poems here is "America in the Night" (this reads like a great beat work):

"Red, white and blue they say? / America? / Don't kid me, I say to they: - / American is blue / Right through- / Blue! / Improvise, black saxist, improvise! / Tell them with your black soul / That America is blue, / That America is the blues."

I'd give it 3.5 stars - if that were allowed.

Rating:
Summary: "Must" reading for all Jack Kerouac fans.
Review: Use Paul Marion's Jack Kerouac Atop An Underwood (88822-2, $24.95) as an accompanying volume surveying his early stories and other writings: this gathers over sixty previously unpublished pieces from Kerouac's personal files and represents a treasure trove for any avid Kerouac reader. Both are highly recommended, even essential picks for any Beat collection.