The Subterraneans, Kerouac

Post by **Arcadia** » January 21st, 2006, 10:04 am

This edition of Anagrama has an interesting introduction by Fernanda Pivano.
I´m in the page 60 and I´m already bored about Mardou. The book reminds me somehow to Cortázar´s Rayuela., with the difference that the Maga was more misterious in a Nadja-way. (I´ll continue reading).

Post by **Marksman45** » January 22nd, 2006, 9:58 am

I failed to get through it.
The tone is so different from other Kerouac books.

Post by **e_dog** » January 28th, 2006, 1:23 am

IT'S a quick read. some interesting parts especially with the Corso- like character and some jazz stuff. there's a audio excerpt with Kerouac reading a few passages, in the set of recording released by Rhino a number o years back. definitely not his best novel, and kind of silly that the setting was totally flipped from East Coast to West -- New York to San Fran.

how's it like Rayuela?

Post by **Axanderdeath** » January 28th, 2006, 2:22 am

I do not remeber a thing about it--I think I read it at the university library during morning shits--thought you all like to know that--I liked the --thing--any way iit is an okay book to pinch a laof too...

Post by **Marksman45** » January 28th, 2006, 4:36 pm

e-dog, are you saying that the story originally took place in NYC? That would make the title make more sense...

I couldn't read it, it was grueling for me.
Maybe it's because I already know Mardou and had no interest in hearing her story again

Post by **Artguy** » January 28th, 2006, 10:35 pm

It's hard for me to give an objective criticism of The Subterraneans as i am in rapture with every word that Kerouac ever wrote. I did a series of paintings about this novel called The Subterraneans....www.kurtscanadianart.com . Kerouacs masterpiece as i believe it to be was Some Of The Dharma which is one of if not the seminal pieces of Buddhist literature written in the 20th century....just my humble opinion...

Post by **Artguy** » January 28th, 2006, 10:37 pm

It's hard for me to give an objective criticism of The Subterraneans as i am in rapture with every word that Kerouac ever wrote. I did a series of paintings about this novel called The Subterraneans http://www.kurtscanadianart.com.... Kerouacs masterpiece as i believe it to be was Some Of The Dharma which is one of if not the seminal pieces of Buddhist literature written in the 20th century....just my humble opinion...

Post by **Dave The Dov** » January 29th, 2006, 7:47 am

Yeah I read "The Subterraneans" and it was hard to follow for me. But then again Kerouac was writing with a sense of whirl wind romance for Mardou and the life that was going on around him at that time.
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Post by **firsty** » January 29th, 2006, 9:10 am

the facts of it did indeed take place in nyc.

it's difficult to read any of kerouac's books if the expectation or hope is to get too far into the sympathy of any female character.

Post by **Arcadia** » January 29th, 2006, 10:40 am

yeah, the introduction says that the story related took first place in New York.
"it's difficult to read any of kerouac's books if the expectation or hope is to get too far into the sympathy of any female character": you´re right, that´s the main difference with Cortázar. I think that one of the rayuela streams is also about youth, literature, love, obssession, fear, jazz, friends, alcohol and a city.
artguy: beautiful serie!. For me The Subterraneans looks mostly like your Subterraneas 10, with the difference that I knew inmediately that I liked the painting.
I´m still in pag. 60-63

Post by **Marksman45** » January 29th, 2006, 4:19 pm

It wasn't anything to do with sympathy; it was that Mardou was like a conglomerate of several girls I know, but specifically a conglomerate of the parts I can't stand

Post by **firsty** » January 29th, 2006, 5:19 pm

i mean 'sympathy' in the sense that the reader identifies with her. he's coming at her from a certain point of view morphed thru bad feelings about women in general, so you're not going to get a necessarily kind account.

Post by **Arcadia** » January 30th, 2006, 7:40 pm

now I´m at page 90. Things changed. The narrator bored me. Then Mardou looks more human. Then both were more interesting. And some three of four naked-condensated lines per page that are great.

Post by **Artguy** » January 30th, 2006, 8:53 pm

Arcadia your next read must be Dharma Bums...catches more of the San Fran groove including night of the Howl....mountain climbing with crazy Zen Japhy Ryder...

Post by **Marksman45** » January 30th, 2006, 9:17 pm

Oh yeah, Dharma Bums is great. One of my top 3 favourite Kerouac books
(3 - Big Sur; 2 - Dharma Bums; 1 - Dr. Sax)