Product Description

On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, "a sideburned hero of the snowy West." As "Sal Paradise" and "Dean Moriarty", the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #534652 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Released on: 2004-05-11
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 10
• Binding: Audio CD

About the Author
Jack Kerouac's (1922-1969) On the Road was published in 1957, six years after its completion. It went on to become a bestseller and is considered the quintessential statement of the 1950's literary movement known as the Beat Generation. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Kerouac did stints at Columbia University, in the Navy and in the Merchant Marine before meeting Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Neal Cassady, who would influence the rest of his life and his writing. Kerouac died in St. Petersburg, Florida at the age of forty-seven.

From AudioFile
The classic memoir of the Beat Generation chronicles Kerouac's years traveling the country in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Hitchhiking, jumping trains, riding buses, and picking up friends along the way, the author roams from one end of the United States to the other. Matt Dillon captures the disconnectedness of Kerouac's life on the road, at times punctuating each word, at others mumbling through entire paragraphs. Dillon's portrayal of Dean Moriarty creates a living person: annoying, complex, and full of self-serving malarkey. Others moving in and out of Kerouac's life receive thoughtful attention, whether they're Latino lovers or redneck policemen. Dillon's performance brings a refreshing interpretation to a classic, all the more remarkable given his distance in years from the culture Baby Boomers remember. R.P.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Go thou and be little beneath my sight ...
Just a note this time. I will not try to repeat what others have so clearly stated. This version of the work with Matt Dillon is amazing. I really enjoyed his vocal version of Dean. The reading of the work is clear and precise and studio perfect.

I'm very happy that this has finally been put out unabridged. David Carridine put out a version through Penguin in the mid-eighties on cassette, that was really fantastic as well, but was, unfortunately, abridged. Carridine's Sal Paradise was truer to the vocal spirit of Jack Kerouac, almost imitating him it seemed, which you won't find Dillon trying to repeat. Nevertheless it's entirely absorbing.

Some people have complained about Matt Dillon's "sluggish" reading in places with the material. I disagree with this sentiment vehemently. I believe the emotional honesty which you can hear from Matt Dillon's voice, shows that not only does he know the material, has listened to Kerouac's and Burroughs's past voice recordings but grasps the larger meaning of the words themselves, which is the true point of the book. He intonates like Jack without trying to imitate him ... which would really be a sin.

Well worth the money and the time spent listening.

Thank you, Matt Dillon.
Thank you, Jack Kerouac.

It Was Hip To Be "Beat"....I Had A Great Time... Again!... (Audio Edition)
This review refers to the audio edition of "On The Road"(Unabridged) by Jack Kerouac....

Jack Kerouac's words and characters come alive in this outstanding read by Matt Dillon. Each character from the life loving "Sal Paradise", to the complex "Dean Moriarity" and all the colorful personalities we meet "On The Road" are given life as Dillon captures the essence of what Kerouac himself called the "Beat" generation.

Before there were Hippies or Yuppies, it was hip to be "Beat".The generation of writers, poets, artists, and musicians living Bohemian lifestyles yearning for knowledge,and enjoying life to it's fullest.

"On The Road", based on Kerouac's own travels, follows the adventures of Sal and Dean as they criss-cross North America, usually broke, trying to find themselves. They experience life, and lifestyles new to them and savor every moment. Every character they encounter touches their lives in some way, and adds greatly to this story. Kerouac's, zest for life and love of people becomes apparent and is contagious.His wonderful descriptive phrases leave you with fabulous images of the people, the places, and the times.I often found myself smiling or even laughing out loud.

This audio edition will have you spellbound. I listened to it every chance I got... while cleaning or working out, and became so engrossed I lost track of the time and my reps(my house is now very clean and my arms very toned!), and brought it with me every time I went somewhere in the car.

If you're looking for a great audio book, a story that pulls you in and a reader who will captivate you, this is one you should consider.I had a great time(Again) and wished I was there!

If the CD is the edition you want be sure that the ISBN on the product page is 0060755334(sometimes the reviews for all the different editions are mixed together).This unabridged edition is also available on cassette-On The Road (ISBN 0694523615). If interested in that edition please see my review of 9/13/03 for details),but in short I can tell you the tapes were an excellent quality as well.


"What's your road, man?".......enjoy...Laurie

Jack, Matt, Sal, and Dean
I urge you to listen to this superb but flawed classic if only to witness the emotional honesty of the underrated Matt Dillon's passionately versatile performance. The young actor would be inspired by the bravery and intangibility of genuine acting, if only Dillon's voice for Dean Moriarty.

The young novelist should also study this work for the promise and pitfalls inherent with the risk of composing a flow of uncorrected words. Truman Capote, another talent tortured by his alcoholism, was part right and wrong, when he complained 'That's not writing, that's typing.' Kerouac's glorious depictions of the beat lifestyle, how to listen to bebop, the energies of town and country, driving on the highway, and Dean Moriarty's elliptical syntax keep this work suspended in the heavens.

The author needed, however, to temper his stylistic bravery with the humility of relying on a brilliant editor. He cheats the reader and himself by cowering away from his inner life. Sal hides his past, despite disclosing Dean's. He also abandons his talent for describing the indescribable bond between lovers and friends after a first promising encounter with his future wife. Alcoholism can drive one to this despondently hopeful but closed world view, while ironically propelling one to the open road. But it is also usually foreshadowed by a confusing chaotic childhood. It is not enough to say that Kerouac was staying consistent with Sal's character, an observer of others who can't observe himself. A courageous novelist could reveal his secrets in a disarming, unpredictable, and deceptively unselfconscious way.

An editor would have also encouraged Jack Kerouac to scratch out the word "sad" and all its synonyms that stubbornly drip onto every page. Someone needed to convince him to trust the narrative, which bleeds sadness. To paraphrase Martin Buber, his characters have a relationship with and live in sadness; to give it a name kills its holiness.

This novel still rewards the reader enough, even if shortchanged by the end of the story , as the characters are with each other. Dillon, however, gives back more than what you paid. There's a lot to listen and learn On the Road with Jack, Matt, Sal and Dean.