Title: Desolation Angels
Author: Jack Kerouac
Publisher: Penguin Group, 1965
Rating: 8
Desolation Angels revealed more about Jack Kerouac, the man, than any of this other books. Kerouac was beaten down by life, where each new adventure only seemed to compound his own emptiness, The Void, which he alludes to a number of times.
The 63 days he spent on Desolation Peak in Washington state seemed to be the beginning of the end of his life journey. There were more adventures in San Francisco, Mexico City and Tangiers. Realizing that going to Tangiers was a mistake at this time of his life, Kerouac quickly returned to America. Here, I see a man tired, bored, rootless, and alone. Many of his friends were married or in relationships, Kerouac was still alone and not connected to anyone.
The section Passing Through America Again brought to the fore his boredom with life. Put it another way: been there, done that. Couple that with his own shortcomings (alcohol, poverty), Jack Kerouac by the time Desolation Angels was published was an overweight alcoholic living with his mother. I say to myself if Kerouac had only understood that a spiritual journey doesn't end at seeing one's own shortcomings; it requires further investigation.
Desolation Angels is a must if one wants to understand Kerouac psyche as well as his writings. I have real a half dozen of his works and is a staple in y home library. I'm sure that Desolation Angels will be a part of yours also.
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