The Unknown Kerouac

by Jack Kerouac

  182.36 with throat-choking hope over] Following this phrase, the pagination of Kerouac’s typescript skips pages 11–19 and resumes with the following: “for wine money: his exhilaration was due to the fact that he was going to succeed and get the money.” This section corresponds to the first of four English inserts, which Kerouac had labeled in the original manuscript “ON THE ROAD Lil Neal Material, page 4 to 12.” A revised version of this insert appears in Visions of Cody. [Tr. note]

  185.30 Major Hoople] Principal character in long-running syndicated comic strip Our Boarding House, created in 1921 by Gene Ahern (1895–1960).

  185.37 Out Our Way] Syndicated single-panel American comic strip first drawn in 1922 by J. R. Williams (1888–1957), known for its portrayal of rural life.

  190.40 miguelle] Miguelle is French patois for miel (honey). In Kerouac’s pronunciation the “g” was silent. [Tr. note]

  193.1 black brooding expression] At this juncture the typescript jumps from page 23 to 33. The following section tracing the history of the Duluoz clan, from “His father Jacques Duluoz” to “the ring of entirety in its beams,” is the second major English insertion Kerouac mixed into Sur le chemin. It is absent from Kerouac’s translation typescript yet is taken into account by the latter’s pagination. Typescript page 33 begins with the tail-end of the insertion with the words “shamefaced, clan, piteous . . . in its beams.” The version of the insertion text as it appears here is largely taken from the notebook in which it was first composed as an integral part of Sur le chemin; however, since Kerouac revised some of the text on pages of the second notebook to Sur le chemin, the revision has been used whenever possible. [Tr. note]

  193.10 L’Heureux] L’Heureux is the fictional surname Kerouac gives to his mother’s side of the family, the Lévesques. In the scheme of the Duluoz Legend, Ti Jean’s grandfather, Jacques Duluoz, married Clementine Bernier-Gaos, his paternal grandmother. Clementine’s siblings include Guillaume (Old Bull Baloon) and Henrieta, mother to both Rolfe Glendiver by her first marriage to Smiley Glendiver, and to Little Dean Pomeray by her second marriage to old Dean Pomeray (now widowed). Since Clementine was also mother to Leo Duluoz, Henrieta was the latter’s aunt, as he reveals to Old Dean Pomeray when they first meet. Old Bull is thus uncle to Leo Duluoz, Rolfe Glendiver, and Little Dean Pomeray and is Ti Jean’s grand-uncle. [Tr. note]

  193.15 Bernier the Atlantic explorer] Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (1852–1934), Canadian explorer, born in Quebec, who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic, 1904–11.

  198.3 the old man raved] Kerouac describes a similar scene in his short 1941 piece “The Father of My Father,” published in Paul Marion, ed., Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings (1999). [Tr. note]

  199.7 On est aussi bien.] We might as well: the phrase is left in French in Kerouac’s English manuscript insert. [Tr. note]

  200.31–32 Walter Winchell] Gossip columnist and radio journalist (1897–1972).

  200.34 to the new day, the great voyage.] These phrases, which do not appear in the French text, were added by Kerouac in his typescript translation. [Tr. note]

  204.39 Roy Eldridge] Jazz trumpeter (1911–1989), nicknamed “Little Jazz.”

  206.24–207.6 And he turned to little Dean . . . that’s all, Dean— Dean—“] This passage corresponds to the third English insert, labeled “MATERIAL OF ‘HA? NEAL?’” [Tr. note]

  207.28–208.35 Have you ever seen . . . rough and free.] This, the fourth and last of the English inserts for Sur le chemin, was labeled “ON THE ROAD 1–3.” Readers of Visions of Cody will recognize it as a description of Cody Pomeray, the “Neal” character of that novel, rather than Rolfe. The archive shows that Kerouac rewrote and revised this text several times; the version used here is from Kerouac’s 1954 typescript translation. [Tr. note]

  211.16 “Ramona”] Song (1928) by Mabel Wayne and L. Wolfe Gilbert, performed by Dolores Del Rio in the 1928 film of the same name.

  211.27–37 “If the guys back home . . . but not any more.”] In his typescript translation Kerouac excises this passage. [Tr. note]

  214.11 Dick Clancy] The character who appears here as Dick Clancy was named, in another draft translation, Bill Kelly. Both are offshoots of Bill Clancy, the name of a “football-hero-hobo” character that Kerouac had invented in his early writings. (See 60.34 in this volume.) [Tr note]

  217.16 Lester at the Savoy] Lester Young (1909–1959), jazz saxophonist and longtime member of Count Basie’s band; the Savoy Ballroom opened in Harlem in 1926 and for thirty-three years featured big bands, including Chick Webb’s Orchestra and Al Cooper’s Savoy Sultans.

  219.19 “She’s going] At this point Kerouac’s 1954 translation breaks off. It is not known if Kerouac did not complete the translation or if the remaining pages were lost. The rest of the translation is by Jean-Christophe Cloutier. [Tr. note]

  219.25 “But what is it?”] The original French patois reads: Mais cosse quy ya? rather than the standard French Mais qu’est-ce qu’il y a? On a separate sheet in his archive Kerouac toys with translating “cosse” simply as two letters (“W d”): Cosse tu fa dans la vie? “W d y do for a living?” However, since Kerouac usually translates cosse qu and its variants into fairly standard American English I have translated it as “what is it.” At other points where it seemed appropriate, I have opted for the more experimental “W d” to approximate the speed of French Canadian speech. (Kerouac also used “Whatzit?” in Satori in Paris and some correspondence.) [Tr. note]

  220.9 Holy Batchism] In the French, Eh batêge; I have adopted the translation used by Kerouac in Doctor Sax. [Tr. note]

  220.29 naborhoods] The word appears thus in the French text. [Tr. note]

  223.24–224.7 “W d is it?” . . . at the window.] I have relied on a revised version of this passage which is problematic and confusing in the French text translated by Kerouac on a separate sheet in his archive. [Tr. note]

  224.8 dope] The word is used here in the sense of “varnish” or “any thick liquid.” [Tr. note]

  225.10 hangjawed] See Kerouac’s description, in Visions of Gerard, of Canucks having the “hungjawed dull faces of grown adults.” [Tr. note]

  226.33–34 Leo cried, throwing out his arms.] In English in the original. [Tr. note]

  228.15–16 crazy as a broom] See note 70.40–71.1. [Tr. note]

  228.18 bastat] Kerouac uses this translation for a corresponding expletive in Visions of Gerard. [Tr. note]

  230.24 “Ah’m from Nawth Ca lina my self,”] Thus in the original manuscript. [Tr. note]

  231.10 Hot Lips] See note 23.10.

  231.15–27 “There’s always gotta be . . . man, he’s high!”] All dialogue in English in the original. [Tr. note]

  232.17–20 “They didn’t wanta . . . lost the man’s hole.”] Dialogue in English in the original. [Tr. note]

  232.38–233.4 “Man, we rolled . . . stretched myself out.] In English in the original. [Tr. note]

  233.9 Charley St. Christian] Charlie Christian (1916–1942), jazz guitarist of the swing era.

  234.10 doawns!] Thus in the original manuscript. [Tr. note]

  235.11 Gaby] Leo’s wife, Ti Jean’s mother; Kerouac’s mother’s name was Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque. [Tr. note]

  237.4 roundifilated] In French, enroudanfola, a coinage of Kerouac, who also provided the equivalent English neologism in parentheses. [Tr. note]

  237.9 Brigash, cass mi gass] This phrase at the bottom of the manuscript remains cryptic; it also appears in the novel Maggie Cassidy, which Kerouac composed immediately after Sur le chemin. Though its exact meaning is uncertain, it pertains to Kerouac’s childhood in Lowell. [Tr. note]

  TICS

  241.17 crummy] Caboose.

  241.22 Zulueta & Persley] On July 8, 1953, Orlando Zulueta defeated Arthur Persley in a lightweight boxing match at Madison Square Garden.

  242.9 Morning Telegraph] Daily newspaper published in N
ew York 1839–1972, strongly focused on horse racing news.

  243.27 Mardou] Alene Lee (1931–1991); her 1953 love affair with Kerouac served as the basis for The Subterraneans (1958), with Lee cast as Mardou Fox.

  245.19 Julien Green] French-born American writer (1900–1998) whose books were mostly written in French; his novels include The Closed Garden (1927) and The Dark Journey (1929).

  246.35–36 que hora es . . . Grande Baile del Mundo!] The somewhat garbled Spanish translates roughly as: “What time is it, mister, at four in the morning? Today! Only today! The biggest dance in the world.”

  248.10–11 Au typewriter / toujours!] At the typewriter always! [Tr. note]

  MEMORY BABE

  255.33 Tom Mix] Cowboy star of the silent and early sound era (1880–1940) whose many films included The Last Trail (1927), A Horseman of the Plains (1928), and Destry Rides Again (1932).

  257.26 Shadow magazines] The Shadow, originally a radio character, became the masked, crime-fighting hero of a long-running pulp magazine, 1931–49.

  257.30–31 Phantom Detective . . . Star Western] The Phantom Detective, pulp magazine published 1933–53; Star Western, pulp magazine published by Popular Publications beginning in the 1930s.

  258.27–28 “Portia Faces Life”] The radio soap opera “Portia Faces Life,” starring Lucille Wall as a crusading woman lawyer in a small town, was broadcast from 1940 to 1953.

  262.12 “Tannant d’voleur] “You obnoxious crook. [Tr. note]

  265.21–22 Vicoan circumlocution] The allusion is to Giambattista Vico (1668–1744), Italian political philosopher whose notion of history as cyclical influenced James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake (1939).

  267.14 “Dardanella,”] Song (1919) with music by Felix Bernard and Johnny S. Black and lyrics by Fred Fisher, recorded by Ben Selvin.

  267.15 Al Jolson . . . Rudy Vallee] Jolson (1886–1950), singer and film actor, star of The Jazz Singer (1928); Vallée (1901–1986), popular singer of French-Canadian ancestry whose hits include “Deep Night” and “I’m Just a Vagabond Lover,” both 1929.

  268.15 J peu tu allez . . . ti loup.] Can I go play outside? If you want lil wolf. [Tr. note]

  268.23 Cy Young or Honus Wagner] Young (1867–1955), major league baseball pitcher; Wagner (1874–1955), major league shortstop.

  268.25 Warren Spahns . . . Mazeroskis] Spahn (1921–2003), major league pitcher; Bill Mazeroski (b. 1936), second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  269.37 Ti Jean pourquoi tu jou tuseul] Ti Jean, why are you playing by yourself? [Tr. note]

  270.2–3 “Rente dans maison . . . pi du la.”] “Get in the house and come eat some Ritz crackers and peanut butter and some milk.” [Tr. note]

  270.19–20 “Allo Kewpie, ta tu faim la?”] “Hello Kewpie, are you hungry there?” [Tr. note]

  270.26 C’est tu bon? cest tu bon?] Is it good? Is it good? [Tr. note]

  270.37 “Ah ca c’est bon, ah?”] “Ah now that’s good, ah?” [Tr. note]

  271.26–28 Ma allez were . . . va achetez laubre.”] “I’m going to see my chums, ma.” “Okay and get back at 6 o’clock for your supper, me and you and Ti Nin we’re gonna go to Lambert’s to pick up the groceries and after that we’re gonna buy the tree.” [Tr. note]

  271.38 Big-Parade war battles] King Vidor’s enormously successful movie The Big Parade (1925) featured extensive scenes of World War I combat.

  276.5 Zorro] Masked swordsman fighting for justice in California under Mexican rule, created by Johnston McCulley in the novella “The Curse of Capistrano” (1919).

  277.8 “Ten, l Ti Pousse”] “Here, there’s Ti Pousse.” [Tr. note]

  277.10–11 “Cosse qui fat . . . va l’arrangez.”] “What’s he up to today?” “We’re gonna buy the Xmas tree tonight and we’ll set it all up.”

  277.23–24 “Ah ti Kewpie, i veu du hamburg?”] “Ah Lil Kewpie, he wants some hamburg?” [Tr. note]

  277.27–28 “Eh twe, j’ai faite . . . encore asoir”] “Eh you, I had these pants cleaned just yesterday. Gonna have to completely change again tonight.” [Tr. note]

  278.3 “Ya tu encore d la date pie?” “Ben oui.”] “Is there any of that date pie left?” “Yeah sure.” [Tr. note]

  278.19 “I neige!”] “It’s snowing!” [Tr. note]

  278.25 “Fe!” . . . “La marde!”] “Phooey!” . . . “Bullshit!” [Tr. note]

  278.26–27 “Leo, parle pa . . . de les enfants!”] “Leo, don’t talk like that in front of the children!” [Tr. note]

  279.24–27 j men a d lecole . . . Estamac flasse”] “I was leaving school, for a glass of water.” “Poor Joe. What did he have to say?” “Nothing . . . he wanted you to come see him. He said that you stay on the other side of the river and you never come to see him.” “Ah well, one fine day there . . .” “Flabby stomach.” [Tr. note]

  279.32–33 “j’ai lestmac . . . je peu avoire . . . ?”] “I got a flabby stomach . . . is there a lil something to eat that I could have . . . ?” [Tr. note]

  280.5–6 “Ah l bonhomme,” . . . “s pa que’l ti bon homme ca.”] “Ah that man,”. . . “If it ain’t just the old man right there.” [Tr. note]

  280.9 Edgar Cayce] Self-proclaimed clairvoyant and faith healer (1877–1945), founder of the Association for Research and Enlightenment.

  280.29 Hugh Herbert] Comic actor (1887–1952) noted for playing fatuous or eccentric characters in many films, including Million Dollar Legs (1932), Footlight Parade (1933), and Dames (1934). “Woo woo!” was one of his catchphrases.

  281.3–4 “l bonhomme Zagg . . . boeu comme ca.”] “That Zagg character he’s always drunk. Will you ask me why a man drinks like that.” [Tr. note]

  281.7 “I pourra seulement . . . chez eux.”] “He won’t even be able to drag himself home.” [Tr. note]

  281.26–27 “Vien t en . . . maudit foulla?”] “Come on Ti Jean, what are you looking at on that damn crazy fool there?” [Tr. note]

  281.32–33 “Ont lara . . . Ti Nin.”] “We might not get any snow for Christmas, Ti Nin.” [Tr. note]

  282.21 Hank Greenberg] Baseball player (1911–1986) mostly for the Detroit Tigers.

  283.13 “S lui la ye trop skinny”] “This one’s too skinny.” [Tr. note]

  283.26 “Leve les un peu, tu l drag dans rue.”] “Lift it up a bit, you’re dragging it in the street.” [Tr. note]

  283.31–33 “T S tanne mon fair . . . un tite chandelle.”] “Now this year I’m gonna make a nice lil corner for Gerard in the parlor, right against the tree, with flowers and a lil candle.” [Tr. note]

  283.37–38 “On peu mettre . . . ta right la.”] “We can put that next to his portrait. Well alright, it’s all right there.” [Tr. note]

  284.14 Un beau arbre fattez pis rond.] A beautiful tree fatted up and round. [Tr. note]

  284.22–23 Ma Ste Terese . . . anyway la.] Put St. Theresa next to him there, I said. But why St. Theresa, there’s no room there anyway. [Tr. note]

  284.26–29 “Ten garde . . . Ouit ti bi di!”] “Here look at your little sister Ti Nin, there, you see how nice she is?” “Yes.” “She’s making it all beautiful, all for you that. Don’t get angry with her anymore.” “Yes and don’t steal my caramel anymore.” “Yessereedoo!” [Tr. note]

  284.35 I neige tu encore?] Is it still snowing? [Tr. note]

  285.3 Roll River by James Boyd] Novel set in Pennsylvania, published in 1935; Boyd’s other novels include Drums (1925) and Marching On (1927).

  285.14–15 “Ten, gard Ti Nin . . . pi i lit.”] “Here, Ti Nin, look at Ti Jean, he loves his portrait of Gerard so much that he sits around it and he reads.” [Tr. note]

  285.35 “Ah Sweet Mystery of Life,”] “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” (1910), song from Victor Herbert’s operetta Naughty Marietta, with lyrics by Rida Johnson Young; it enjoyed renewed success as sung by Jeanette MacDonald in the 1935 film version.

  292.12–13 Jack Holt .
. . Buck Jones] Holt (1888–1951), actor who appeared in many Westerns, including The Thundering Herd (1925) and The Border Legion (1930); Jones (1891–1942), Western star of films, including Just Pals (1920), The Texas Ranger (1931), and Range Feud (1931).

  292.14–15 “Ten, Ti Jean yest arrivez!”] “Look, Ti Jean is here!” [Tr. note]

  294.11 Errol Flynn] Australian-born actor (1909–1959) known for swashbuckling roles in such films as Captain Blood (1935) and The Sea Hawk (1940).

  294.30–31 ‘Dodge brothers, late 29’] In A Day at the Races (1936).

  297.30 “Va t couchez la Ti Jean, yest tard.”] “Go to bed now Ti Jean, it’s late.” [Tr. note]

  299.2–7 “Ti Jean? Comment . . . moi je bu plus.”] “Ti Jean? How come? You’re not up yet?” “I went out the upstairs window.” “Bad boy . . . you’re gonna break your legs.” “Don’t be scared, I know how to jump.” “I made some good oatmeal for your breakfast. Do you want some toast now to start?” “Yes.” “O boy, I have a big headache after all that last night, O boy me I’m not drinking anymore.” [Tr. note]

  303.24 Monkey Business] Film (1931) directed by Norman McLeod, in which the Marx Brothers stow away on a luxury liner.

  304.11–12 Una Merkel] Comic actress (1903–1986) who appeared in Private Lives (1931), Red Headed Woman (1932), and other films.

  304.15–16 Rintintin . . . Lon Chaney] Rin Tin Tin (1918–1932), German Shepherd who became a popular attraction in such films as A Race for Life (1928) and On the Border (1930); Chaney (1883–1930), actor whose films include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and The Unholy Three (1925).

  DOING LITERARY WORK

  307.2 Nothing More to Declare] Holmes’s book was published in 1967 by E. P. Dutton. The chapter on Kerouac is called “The Great Rememberer.”

  307.28 Alphonse & Gaston] Protagonists of the comic strip of the same name, created by Frederick Burr Opper in 1901; their hallmark was absurd and overelaborate mutual deference.

  308.37 Oswald Spengler] German historian (1880–1936) best known for his multivolume work The Decline of the West (1918–22).