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5th out of 19 books
—
50 voters
The Subterraneans (Duluoz Legend)
by
Jack Kerouac
Written over the course of three days and three nights, The Subterraneans was generated out of the same ecstatic flash of inspiration that produced another one of Kerouac's early classic, On The Road. Centering on the tempestous breakup of Leo Percepied and Mardou Fox--two denizens of the 1950s San Francsico underground--The Subterraneans is a tale of dark alleys and dark...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
January 27th 1994
by Grove Press
(first published 1958)
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Aug 09, 2011
Ryan Milbrath
added it
Written in 1958, The Subterraneans is Kerouac’s attempt at a memoir about the time-honored literary theme of relationships. At a superficial level, it is merely a novella about how a relationship can crumble in the face societal pressures. However, like relationships, one should never take a person, or written work, at merely face value. The Subterraneans is much more than a romance in the vein of “He’s just not that into you.” The relationship itself is something of taboo in the 1950s, Kerouac’...more
Ahh, The beat generation. What an Isle of Misfit Toys. I think from most of the books I have read, the ones from the beat generation are the most interesting. I haven't secured a copy of On the Road But when I do I will fully judge Jack Kerouac. Moving on to this book. I was rather interested in the main character at the beginning of the book. He is a Vagabond/Sailor/Hippie in the San Francisco area. He has a group of friends that pretty much do nothing more then sit around and drink and smoke T...more
As one of the founders of the Beat Generation, author Jack Kerouac is now ironically reaping the rewards for his works back in the 1950s and early '60s, despite his unexpected death in 1969 at the ripe age of 47.
His 'innovative' use of spontaneous prose has been passed on as inspiration for many who dabble in the art of literature, while many modern musicians also stake claim in being influenced from the Lowell, Massachusetts born writer.
The Subterraneans - like many of Kerouac's novels - took l...more
His 'innovative' use of spontaneous prose has been passed on as inspiration for many who dabble in the art of literature, while many modern musicians also stake claim in being influenced from the Lowell, Massachusetts born writer.
The Subterraneans - like many of Kerouac's novels - took l...more
This is a difficult book for me to rate. The story is about the break up of a relationship of a writer who drinks too much and is ambivalent toward his girlfriend, Mardou, set in the milieu of the 1950's beat generation. Accordingly, "Mardou" would be a more appropriate title for this book. While the prose is sometimes beautiful, and the author at times evokes the sentiments and thoughts of his main character, the writer, the story is written as meandering thoughts.
Sometimes the setting, the cha...more
Sometimes the setting, the cha...more
The Subterraneans is my first revisit to Jack Kerouac since a high school obsession, and I'm sad to report that the voice that had initially excited and entranced me so much is a little lacking here. In fairness, The Subterraneans is a lesser work in the Kerouac oeuvre, and the things that I liked about it are things I generally like about Kerouac. But there weren't enough of those things to buoy this short-but-surprisingly-laborious read.
All those familiar Kerouac signposts are here: the rambli...more
All those familiar Kerouac signposts are here: the rambli...more
I really wanted to like this book. I tried my hardest to understand its unique style, its flowing movements lacking punctuation, and the free-form stream of conciousness. The problem was, I just couldn't. The narrative itself wasn't all that exciting; a lot of getting drunk and scoring with women, but not anything substantial that makes a worthwhile story.
I had trouble identifying with the characters or even liking them. They were drunk all the time, driven for nothing in life except sex and se...more
I had trouble identifying with the characters or even liking them. They were drunk all the time, driven for nothing in life except sex and se...more
Oh, Jack. As always, the enthusiasm and momentum in his writing is infectious. I haven’t read anything by Kerouac for a few years before picking this one up, and I’d forgotten about the weirdness of trying to settle into it like it’s a linear story intended to be clearly followed in detail when really it’s a tilt-a-whirl kind of ride not about to stop and explain itself so all I can do is hang on, watch the colors spinning past, catch enough bits and pieces of the conversations and memories to b...more
I am an admitted Kerouac fan and I think most people who read Kerouac begin and end with On the Road, which was of course groundbreaking in its day. I loved On the Road and have read it repeatedly on and off over decades. Subterraneans, however, sat on my shelf in the I'll-get-to-it pile. This book (more a novella than an novel)chronicles his affair with Mardou Fox (Alene Lee was her real name), a young black woman. While some have called it racist, and others misogynistic (the Beats weren't the...more
Jun 25, 2008
Andy
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
drunken poseur buddhists
Shelves:
jazznbeats
Kerouac's kind of a dick in this one, whining and chasing after this black girl Mardou all through the book. Once she caves in to his non-existent charms he dumps her like he's Tommy Lee or something.
When he's not crying for her to take him back he's busy fetishizing her blackness like she's a pickaninny doll and then drunkenly makes in-crowd jokes to his pals about Buddha and Boddhisatva. What a shithead.
When he's not crying for her to take him back he's busy fetishizing her blackness like she's a pickaninny doll and then drunkenly makes in-crowd jokes to his pals about Buddha and Boddhisatva. What a shithead.
3 likes · like · see review
Are all good stories derived from personal experience? Jack Kerouac seems to think so.
Written in the days following his breakup with an African American woman, Jack Kerouac's novella 'The Subterraneans' continues the self-aware stream of consciousness style that became the archetype for several of his novels. Sadly, despite my high hopes, this short story became marred by the very thing that made Kerouac's breakout hit so popular.
This story follows Mardou and Leo, two hip members of the San Fran...more
Written in the days following his breakup with an African American woman, Jack Kerouac's novella 'The Subterraneans' continues the self-aware stream of consciousness style that became the archetype for several of his novels. Sadly, despite my high hopes, this short story became marred by the very thing that made Kerouac's breakout hit so popular.
This story follows Mardou and Leo, two hip members of the San Fran...more
Again, not my favorite by him. It's interesting, of course, a good read, and absorbing, as his writing always is.
What was worthy about it is his ability to accurately the twistiness of emotions that come from anxiety-inducing situations. In this case, the situation is a relationship that is weird and not really a relationship, one that can't last. He feels a connection, but can't seem to build on it. It's a beautiful example of how fickle and strange people can be, especially in their interactio...more
What was worthy about it is his ability to accurately the twistiness of emotions that come from anxiety-inducing situations. In this case, the situation is a relationship that is weird and not really a relationship, one that can't last. He feels a connection, but can't seem to build on it. It's a beautiful example of how fickle and strange people can be, especially in their interactio...more
I should preface this by saying that I review based on my enjoyment of a book, not prose or writing style. Five stars means I loved a book, couldn't put it down and the whle story characters and plots left me completly engrossed as well as entertained.
Four star ratings are much the same but the book may have been less engaging.
Two and three star ratings imply that a book was merely okay and mildly entertaining.
I have not given a one star rating yet and likely will not. I think anyone who takes p...more
I read this book for a book club me and a some of my friends started started a while back. I was initially caught by the writing style of the first few pages. It impressed me with it's free flow of thoughts, sometimes even jumping out of the story to reflect on the thoughts of the writer concerning the room he was sitting in or on the writing itself. That gave the book an interesting element of "meta". As I read on though, this initial fascination waned somewhat as it switched into more regular...more
It's a commonly-held opinion that 'On the Road' is Kerouac's finest, and so far, as I'm slowly working my way through his oeuvre, I haven't found anything that weighs heavily against that opinion. So far, On the Road and Big Sur are my favourites. Subterraneans was interesting though. It's Kerouacs ideals about spontaneous writing in action... even self-reflexively so. And it kind of works once you get into the flow of it. In the end you're left with an appreciation of the raw emotions of a beat...more
Nov 07, 2012
Jorge García
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
amantes,
literatura-norteamericana
"Los subterráneos" es una música para ser oída de noche, con sus largos fraseos que suben y bajan, bocanadas de aire etílico y versos que estallan contra la ciudad: San Francisco, ciudad de maricas, poetas y vagabundos.
Tened cuidado de no perderos en esta ciudad subterránea, de andar por la calle equivocada, en la que todo envejece mal: el canto por el amor perdido, la energía sexual que fluye por las páginas, o ese amor pagano. Tal vez no sea más que el culto a sí mismo del dios Kerouac.
Entonce...more
Tened cuidado de no perderos en esta ciudad subterránea, de andar por la calle equivocada, en la que todo envejece mal: el canto por el amor perdido, la energía sexual que fluye por las páginas, o ese amor pagano. Tal vez no sea más que el culto a sí mismo del dios Kerouac.
Entonce...more
Kerouac's stream of consciousness style is perfect for narrating a jumbled, tangled, thorny love affair with a woman he can't pull himself together enough to keep but nonetheless mourned enough to write a book about, documenting their passionate flame/flame out. Subterraneans was written in three days/nights, and its pacing reflects the rush of ideas Kerouac was having at the time--about this dark skinned woman, about drinking, about jealousy, about the ways these pieces all tore at one another....more
I’ll start by saying that I’m a big fan of Kerouac, but I just couldn’t get into this book. It’s written in his typical free-thought style of prose, but this time it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. At least not for me.
The story is about a failing romance between Kerouac and an African-American woman, Mardou Fox, who likes to go to jazz clubs. They have a group of friends that smoke “tea” (cannabis) and drink heavily. Kerouac often mentions his drinking problem, which was causing a rift between him...more
The story is about a failing romance between Kerouac and an African-American woman, Mardou Fox, who likes to go to jazz clubs. They have a group of friends that smoke “tea” (cannabis) and drink heavily. Kerouac often mentions his drinking problem, which was causing a rift between him...more
The style of this short novel is representative of Kerouac's style. It details his time with the group of "Subterraneans," but most of the story revolves around his relationship with Mardou Fox (what a great name). The book in many ways is very honest (and Kerouac notes that in the beginning). Leo Percepied has a lot of demons: alcohol, writer insecurities, and a pretty mean streak of jealousy brought upon by bad dreams and a heavy dose of psychoanalyzing with an added sprinkle of mommy issues....more
I started reading The Subterraneans only a few months after finishing On the Road for the first time. The excitement leading up to it was tremendous, I hadn't heard a thing about this previously, but I could be assured it was to be on the same level of Beat merit as its predecessor.
Was I wrong?
Yep.
Everything about it felt muddled and incomprehensible, the entire idea of the Stream of Consciousness style of writing was applied to the publishing with no editing or reading over before putting it...more
Was I wrong?
Yep.
Everything about it felt muddled and incomprehensible, the entire idea of the Stream of Consciousness style of writing was applied to the publishing with no editing or reading over before putting it...more
Apr 28, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
california
A profoundly sad novel. I fall in and out of love with Kerouac's prose, but his story rips your heart out. It was recommended to me by a colleague who told me that this book is about "people who make decisions by not making any choices."
I really really enjoyed Subterraneans it seems to be that the underlying theme of most of the Kerouac I’ve been reading is his battle with alcoholism. Here he destroyed a relationship that he felt held a lot of potential because he couldn’t stop drinking and going out, and flirting with boys (even though he was straight!). It was hard to read in lots of ways as there were times when it reminded me a little too much of me 6 years ago, and people I’ve known. But it was also quite fantastic. I thou...more
When I decided to read this book, I did so with no knowledge of Mr. Kerouac or his writings. Only later did I learn of the reputation that Mr. Kerouac possesses among many of the literary community. I have heard several times how he is one of, "the voices of his generation". If this is the case then I pity his generation. Perhaps the point of his narrative is to illustrate how utterly bereft of purpose his life was, how completely irredeemable he appeared to be, or perhaps to highlight his compl...more
Feb 07, 2012
Jim Leckband
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Only Kerouac completists. Junkies.
My opinion is that Kerouac wrote this under the influence.
Yes, obviously under the influence of alcohol and speed, but also under the influence of Finnegans Wake. In fact he name-checks the book on the last page of "The Subterraneans". The stream-of-consciousness is more stream-of-incoherence than anything else. "Finnegans Wake" can be entertaining and sublime prose-poetry which Joyce took years to craft. It is doubtful Kerouac even proof-read this one after it spewed out. There are moments of b...more
Yes, obviously under the influence of alcohol and speed, but also under the influence of Finnegans Wake. In fact he name-checks the book on the last page of "The Subterraneans". The stream-of-consciousness is more stream-of-incoherence than anything else. "Finnegans Wake" can be entertaining and sublime prose-poetry which Joyce took years to craft. It is doubtful Kerouac even proof-read this one after it spewed out. There are moments of b...more
This is my first Kerouac novel and I must admit that it was difficult at times to keep up with the protagonist's train of thought. That's what this novel is- a continuous train of thought. It can either be that my difficulty to follow Kerouac is due to my lack of development as a reader or just because Kerouac accomplishes to emulate how we think so well that the reader is bound to miss certain bits and be confused as the protagonist goes off topic. In general, the important parts are always bro...more
Nov 28, 2008
Csencsitz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those who enjoy Kerouac or are into that sort of ideal.
I really loved this book. Jack Kerouac, for all his iconic writing and cliche beatnick status, still manages to capture the life and thoughts of the younger generation who were simply looking for any sort of adventure. That is, they have their own dreams and attempt to reach them. Kerouac shows their growth and takes his readers through the realization that things aren't like they expected them to be. Somehow, though, even though this sort of melancholic epiphany seems to be common for his endin...more
After reading the more conventional 'Go' by John Clellon Holmes and having explored 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg, this book by Kerouac is a really valuable addition to my view on the Beats. To my mind, the book really exemplifies the movement's attempt to find new ways of expression to go with their equally non-conformist way of life.
I became more gripped with the story as I read and I think it very advisable to limit interruptions as much as possible while you're reading this, because Kerouac's 'sp...more
I became more gripped with the story as I read and I think it very advisable to limit interruptions as much as possible while you're reading this, because Kerouac's 'sp...more
The closest thing to a pure love story Jack wrote.
1 like · like · see review
Meaningless unless you know the people it is based on, over-heated, and wildly self-indulgent, Kerouac presumes from the outset that we will find him and his friends to be as interesting as he does, but neglects to provide us with a compelling dramatic reason to do so. Instead, we get an undisciplined, drug-fueled approximation of jazz music, a glut of skewed observations that have little focus. The slim length of this novel does not indicate clarity. Has historical value, but as living, breathi...more
The best example of Kerouac's rambling, non-stop writing style. It's a tell-all of his side of a relationship. Whether it's true or not, or just his perception of things, really doesn't matter because this is "fiction" in a way and as it stands it's an amazing read. Kerouac described himself of a "jazz poet" and this is really the pinnacle of that, flowing like the bop songs of the time more than a novel or traditional poetry. Some hated it at the time, but I say it was a brilliant innovation an...more
I finished The Subterraneans a couple days and I've realized that it has really stuck with me. I keep picking it up and flipping through it and rereading parts. I was in tears at the end of this book. I think Kerouac is an amazing author, and his prose is so beautiful in this piece. It was raw honesty. He didn't sugarcoat his own faults or prejudices and recognized their existence. He held nothing back, and as a reader, I really value that. For me, the story wasn't so important, but it invoked a...more
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Jack Kerouac was an American novelist, writer, poet, and artist. He is perhaps the best known of a group of writers and friends who came to be known as the Beat Generation, a term he himself created.
Kerouac's work was popular, but received little critical acclaim during his lifetime. Today, he is considered an important and influential writer who inspired others, including Tom Robbins, Lester Bang...more
More about Jack Kerouac...
Kerouac's work was popular, but received little critical acclaim during his lifetime. Today, he is considered an important and influential writer who inspired others, including Tom Robbins, Lester Bang...more
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“beautiful insane
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“The details are the life of it, I insist, say everything on your mind, don’t hold back, don’t analyze or anything as you go along, say it out.”
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Feb 19, 2013 11:36am