Most letters are sent in the post to his unassuming last home in St Petersburg, Florida - and the mail box in the front yard is full to bursting.

 

But others are delivered by hand, left wedged into the front door or on the doorstep.

 

They usually thank the author of On The Road for inspiring them to travel and be independent. 'You remind me to stay true to who you are and to nurture³ the wanderlust gene¹ in all of us,' reads one letter, handwritten by 'Cindy' on butterfly and flower-adorned stationery⁴. She adds: 'I hope you're writing, unrestrained, with a shot and a beer.'

 

Another, signed 'Friend of Jack', reads: 'I prefer to think of myself as a free spirit and a person who follows a path of her own choosing. You have always been my inspiration.'

 

Kerouac, the creator of iconic characters such as Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, died at a St Petersburg hospital in 1969, at the age of 47.

 

His home, where he was living with his mother Gabrielle and his wife Stella, has become a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of fans every year.

 

Kerouac rocketed to fame at the age of 35, with the publication of On the Road in 1957.

 

But after becoming an icon⁵ and the figurehead of a counter-culture, he struggled with that fame and claimed that he only wanted people to read his books.

 

Kerouac died just 12 years after On The Road the published. He was suffering from cirrhosis following years of excessive drinking - largely brought on by his love-hate relationship with fame.

点击收听单词发音