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alyssabookrecs's review against another edition
1.0
BUCK: Well Bishop, what are we all doing here, and what strange days we live . . . . isnt that so
IRWIN: Yeah, I think we should all be ourselves sometime . . . soon as we can
Found this gem in a Half-Price Books in Minnesota. The only play Jack Kerouac ever wrote, never published or performed until it was unearthed in the early 2000s for this edition. It's not his greatest work, but it has a rhythm to it, that bop prosody he stole from Black musicians and jazz. So many quotes struck me when I least expected it, even though the play itself is hard to get through for the following reasons, which Kerouac thought were its strengths: "What I wanta do is re-do the theater and the cinema in America, give it a spontaneous dash, remove pre-conceptions of 'situation' and let people rave on as they do in real life. That's what the play is: no plot in particular, no 'meaning' in particular, just the way people are. Everything I write I do in the spirit where I imagine myself an Angel returned to earth seeing it with sad eyes as it is." Okay Kerouac, I have to disagree here on some level (there can be a plot and there doesn't need to be any particular meaning, other than people being as they are, but themes appear NATURALLY in writing in my opinion...).
But also it’d be cool to direct a diverse and inclusive version of this play just to see how it holds up onstage (not well though, I think)
IRWIN: Yeah, I think we should all be ourselves sometime . . . soon as we can
Found this gem in a Half-Price Books in Minnesota. The only play Jack Kerouac ever wrote, never published or performed until it was unearthed in the early 2000s for this edition. It's not his greatest work, but it has a rhythm to it, that bop prosody he stole from Black musicians and jazz. So many quotes struck me when I least expected it, even though the play itself is hard to get through for the following reasons, which Kerouac thought were its strengths: "What I wanta do is re-do the theater and the cinema in America, give it a spontaneous dash, remove pre-conceptions of 'situation' and let people rave on as they do in real life. That's what the play is: no plot in particular, no 'meaning' in particular, just the way people are. Everything I write I do in the spirit where I imagine myself an Angel returned to earth seeing it with sad eyes as it is." Okay Kerouac, I have to disagree here on some level (there can be a plot and there doesn't need to be any particular meaning, other than people being as they are, but themes appear NATURALLY in writing in my opinion...).
But also it’d be cool to direct a diverse and inclusive version of this play just to see how it holds up onstage (not well though, I think)
golub_so's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
angeliqueazul's review against another edition
3.0
My first Kerouac and I'm really looking forward to reading On the Road now. I found Beat Generation to be an interesting play but none one HAS to have read. It took me the whole first act (out of three) to get used to the language and to get into the flow but then it was entertaining and I really enjoyed the second act. Most people prefer the third one, but I did not find it to be any funnier than the other two. Wondering why I'm not saying anything about the plot? It's basically non-existent - but there is a certain beauty in that.
The OneWorld Classics edition includes an Introduction by A.M. Homes, which I really appreciated. Homes makes you eager to read the play and more works by Kerouac and other writers from the beat generation, and he also accomplishes to give you a good idea of the background of the play and what to expect on the following pages. This introduction was really helpful.
This edition also includes a short biography and introduction to other works by Jack Kerouac. Both were really interesting to read and gave a good overview of Kerouac's life and what's going on in his works.
I would recommend this to people interested in experimental plays and devoted Kerouac/beat generation fans.
The OneWorld Classics edition includes an Introduction by A.M. Homes, which I really appreciated. Homes makes you eager to read the play and more works by Kerouac and other writers from the beat generation, and he also accomplishes to give you a good idea of the background of the play and what to expect on the following pages. This introduction was really helpful.
This edition also includes a short biography and introduction to other works by Jack Kerouac. Both were really interesting to read and gave a good overview of Kerouac's life and what's going on in his works.
I would recommend this to people interested in experimental plays and devoted Kerouac/beat generation fans.
shiprim's review against another edition
3.0
Jack Kerouac'ın bence pek de başarılı olmayan bir oyunu.
hslk0111's review against another edition
4.0
Kerouac's lost play was pretty good. The 2nd act was a bit lost on me, as it involved lots of horseracing terms. The final act, though, was extremely funny. I would love to see a performance!
anacvoelcker's review against another edition
1.0
This sucks.
I am not interested in pointless conversations and horse racing.
Some things should stay unpublished.
I am not interested in pointless conversations and horse racing.
Some things should stay unpublished.
noirla1939's review against another edition
3.0
This'll be a short review. The bottom line is that the play is not structured. Sure, it has three acts, but there's no plot, no conflict, no character development. It's just a bunch of guys talking, which is probably how Kerouac intended. It's unconventional. I just wish I was able to follow what the characters were talking about because the topics of conversation were interesting, ranging from Buddhism to karma to horse racing to life. At the end of the day, I interpreted the play to be about the friendship these days have in spite of the world and life they lead. That they can have a calm and civil discussion about these things is nice. I enjoyed the last couple pages of the play because I felt that I connected with the characters. It's just too bad I couldn't understand them from the beginning.
tscott907's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting but lacks interiority, punctuation, or any sense of plot. I was excited for this because the Beats fascinate me, but it left me cold — maybe I’ll try On The Road next and it will treat me better.
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