Jan Kerouac
Encyclopedia
Janet Michelle "Jan" Kerouac (February 16, 1952 – June 5, 1996) was an American writer
and the only child of beat generation
author Jack Kerouac
and Joan Haverty Kerouac.
. Her mother left her father while pregnant, and Jack refused to acknowledge the baby as his daughter. A blood test when Jan was nine years old proved his paternity and he was ordered to pay $52 a week for her upbringing. Though Jan met her father only twice, she inherited his wanderlust, and like both her parents, Jan made frequent use of drugs and was no stranger to trouble. After a teenage stint in a mental hospital, Jan delved deeper into the 1960s underworld of drugs, before leaving for Mexico at the age of fifteen. For the next few decades, she traveled across the country with a reckless abandon that echoed that of her father and Neal Cassady
.
She published two semi-autobiographical novels, Baby Driver in 1981, and Trainsong in 1988. She was working on a third novel, Parrot Fever, at the time of her death.
During this time, Kerouac was also involved in legal battles with Stella Sampas Kerouac, Jack's last wife; and after Stella's death, with Stella's blood relatives, over his estate, including the location of his grave and ownership of his papers. On July 24, 2009, a judge in Pinellas County, Florida
ruled that the will of his mother Gabrielle Kerouac (died 1973), which gave all rights to Jack Kerouac's work to the Sampas family, was a forgery. The legal action against this will was originally brought by Jan Kerouac and a nephew of Jack's.
It is not clear whether the judge's ruling would affect the distribution of assets of the estate. A lawyer for the Sampas family, George Tobias, commented that he expected the ruling to be appealed. He did not explain how this would occur, since the family was not directly involved in the lawsuit.
following surgery. She is survived by twin half-sisters, Katharine and Sharon, and one half-brother, David Bowers.
Author Gerald Nicosia
, who at one time was Jan Kerouac's personal literary representative, has edited and published a book of tributes to her, entitled Jan Kerouac: A Life in Memory in January 2009.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and the only child of beat generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
author Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
and Joan Haverty Kerouac.
Early life and career
Kerouac was born in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Her mother left her father while pregnant, and Jack refused to acknowledge the baby as his daughter. A blood test when Jan was nine years old proved his paternity and he was ordered to pay $52 a week for her upbringing. Though Jan met her father only twice, she inherited his wanderlust, and like both her parents, Jan made frequent use of drugs and was no stranger to trouble. After a teenage stint in a mental hospital, Jan delved deeper into the 1960s underworld of drugs, before leaving for Mexico at the age of fifteen. For the next few decades, she traveled across the country with a reckless abandon that echoed that of her father and Neal Cassady
Neal Cassady
Neal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road....
.
She published two semi-autobiographical novels, Baby Driver in 1981, and Trainsong in 1988. She was working on a third novel, Parrot Fever, at the time of her death.
During this time, Kerouac was also involved in legal battles with Stella Sampas Kerouac, Jack's last wife; and after Stella's death, with Stella's blood relatives, over his estate, including the location of his grave and ownership of his papers. On July 24, 2009, a judge in Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
ruled that the will of his mother Gabrielle Kerouac (died 1973), which gave all rights to Jack Kerouac's work to the Sampas family, was a forgery. The legal action against this will was originally brought by Jan Kerouac and a nephew of Jack's.
It is not clear whether the judge's ruling would affect the distribution of assets of the estate. A lawyer for the Sampas family, George Tobias, commented that he expected the ruling to be appealed. He did not explain how this would occur, since the family was not directly involved in the lawsuit.
Personal life
Married and divorced twice, Kerouac lived a troubled life marked by periods of self-destruction. In 1968, she gave birth to a stillborn child and had no other children.Death
On June 5, 1996, Kerouac died in Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
following surgery. She is survived by twin half-sisters, Katharine and Sharon, and one half-brother, David Bowers.
Author Gerald Nicosia
Gerald Nicosia
Gerald Nicosia, born November 18, 1949 in Berwyn, Illinois, is a freelance journalist, interviewer, and literary critic.He received a B.A. and an M.A...
, who at one time was Jan Kerouac's personal literary representative, has edited and published a book of tributes to her, entitled Jan Kerouac: A Life in Memory in January 2009.
External links
- Jan Kerouac Obituary
- Jan Kerouac: A Life In Memory City Lights Bookstore Upcoming Seminar
- The Battle for Jack Kerouac's Estate