It is time for Jack Kerouac to return fully home. Kerouac, the iconic American writer celebrated around the world for his unique and influential prose and poetry, was born here in Lowell, MA. His French-Canadian heritage still runs like a spine through the city.
He wrote extensively about his time here, especially in his first novel, “The Town and The City”, an autobiographical work set in Lowell.
He is remembered with a downtown Commemorative sculpture and park, its granite pillars laden with passages from his work.
For his first 17 years, Kerouac was of Lowell and in the years that followed he was of the world. His novel On The Road broke fresh literary ground in 1957, capturing the underground counterculture and inspiring so many.
His rhythmic writing was the beat behind the Beats. His friends and contemporaries, now mostly gone, came here to pay homage during the annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac events, which continue to draw fans from near and far.
And yet, he is not properly, fully here….and the Jack Kerouac Foundation wants to change that while also being the anchor of the revitalization of the Acre section of Lowell.
