Saturday, February 13, 2016

Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac - A Review


Everybody's looking for Something. . .*

Satori in Paris



Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac


Satori in Paris reads like a poem in certain spots, before Kerouac reverts back to his beat-influenced narrative style. Jack is looking for the history of his family name, especially in Brittany, and he wants to meet his relatives or seek information about his ancestors. Will he find what he's looking for? Will he be accepted or ignored by those of his familial village. . .?

Between encounters with Parisians, including ladies of the bars and eloquent cab drivers, Jack finds France a learning experience. Satori in Paris can be read quickly, and it sheds some insight on Jack's melancholy. He was forever seeking, trying to understand, trying to make sense of life. I read Satori in Paris again for this review, and it still held my attention as I tried to imagine Paris in the nineteen-sixties when it was written. Black and white images and rain. . .a figure walks alone.

Recommended.


***

Satori means 'a sudden illumination' or 'a kick in the eye'.

Satori in Paris is preceded by Desolation Angels (1965), and followed by Vanity of Duluoz (1968)

***
Jack Kerouac, American Writer- a previous blogpost with a list of Kerouac books.


* Song Reference: (Thanks, Annie Lennox, a line from Sweet Dreams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg

***

Have you read any of Jack Kerouac's books? Which ones? What do you think of Beat writers/poets? (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, etc.)

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

***********************************

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac Wiki on Jack Kerouac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satori_in_Paris About the book, Satori in Paris


****