Special Collections: A Collection of Rare Jack Kerouac Materials Acquired by Emory’s Rose Library

From Emory U. in Atlanta:

A rare collection of materials related to Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac has been acquired by Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Emory announced the acquisition today [October 1, 2015] at a dedication ceremony celebrating the naming of the Rose Library for university alumnus and literary benefactor Stuart Rose of Dayton, Ohio.
The collection, from Kerouac’s brother-in-law John Sampas, includes a remarkable set of photographs of the novelist and poet from 1939 to the end of his life in 1969, and a range of correspondence with Neal Cassady, the model for the protagonist of Kerouac’s novel “On the Road.”
“These materials reflect and extend the university’s already significant holdings related to Jack Kerouac,” says Rosemary Magee, director of the Rose Library. “The letters, photographs, correspondence and manuscript drafts in this collection intimately document Kerouac’s life and provide new insight into his creative genius.
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The Rose Library also is home to the Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac Papers, 1940-1994, which include artwork, audiovisual material, clippings, correspondence and writings, financial and legal records, artifacts and more. Among the artifacts are an Army rucksack used by Kerouac, a suitcase, his final typewriter, and Kerouac’s paint box with his signature on the side, used for his various artworks.
Audiovisual materials held by the Rose Library in the Stella Kerouac papers include recordings of Kerouac playing the piano and reading his works, recordings of other writers reading their works, commercial jazz recordings, and conversations Kerouac recorded between himself and other writers such as Alan Ginsberg and Gregory Corso.
Also among the Rose Library’s current Kerouac holdings are materials ranging from early typescripts dating from 1940 and correspondence going back to high school, which complement the extensive holdings of books and materials related to Beat Generation writers.

Additional Details and Access Info in the Complete Announcement

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