Lesley Grove
LTEL 155B
Wilson
Nov 11,2008
Solitude in Big Sir
“Tiresome old sea, ain’t you sick
& tiered of all this merde?
This incessant boom boom
& sandy walk…
Just gloom booboom & green
On foggy nights- the fog is a part
Of us-
I know, but tired
As I can be listening to all
This silly majesty”
- “Sea: Sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sir” by Jack Kerouac
San Francisco was the central location of the counterculture in the 1950’s. As a home of much of the beat generation, it was enriched with many views of art, music, religion, politics and dreams of our purpose in the world. All these ideas were expressed through the works of the beat writers of this time. Among one of the most innovative beats is Lawrence Ferilinghetti, the co-founder of the City Lights Bookstore. Located in North Beach, San Francisco, City Lights Bookstore was mainly known for publishing poetry and works of the beat authors such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Carlos Williams, and Ferlinghetti himself. It is an independently owned bookstore dedicated to world literature, art, and progressive politics with an emphasis in works relating to San Francisco culture.
Many of the beats often resided in San Francisco, the core of the counterculture of this time, though they also spent a significant amount of time traveling the triangle from San Francisco to New York to Mexico, and all that lies between. Among one of these places connected to the San Francisco “contado” is the serene climate of Big Sur. San Francisco and Big Sur are connected by the twists and turns of Highway 1, which follows the coast South from Orange County, all the way North up to Mendocino County. Big Sur was an alternative to the fast-paced city life. Many artists and writers of San Francisco would retreat to Big Sur to gather their thoughts, relax and take in the beauty and serenity of the ocean with its rocky coastlines and the abundant wilderness it had to offer. Here, these beat authors could quietly write of the times they had while traveling and living in the city and around the world, while staying among the familiar scenes of the ocean with fellow writers for inspiration.
Among one of the writers to escape to the solitude of Big Sur was Lawrwnce Ferlinghetti. Since he owned a cabin in the coastal mountains of Big Sur, other beat writers made use of this space themselves. Jack Kerouac’s Novel Big Sur is based on the truth of his life as a famous writer and the weight it put on him. In the novel he goes to Big Sur to get away from the stress and madness of the city life and its expectations, to relax and forget about the world as he knew it. Instead of releasing his problems in Big Sur, he begins obsessively drinking, and ruining his relationship with all the people he knows and his appreciation for the beautiful things in life, like Big Sur.
LTEL 155B
Wilson
Nov 11,2008
Solitude in Big Sir
“Tiresome old sea, ain’t you sick
& tiered of all this merde?
This incessant boom boom
& sandy walk…
Just gloom booboom & green
On foggy nights- the fog is a part
Of us-
I know, but tired
As I can be listening to all
This silly majesty”
- “Sea: Sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sir” by Jack Kerouac
San Francisco was the central location of the counterculture in the 1950’s. As a home of much of the beat generation, it was enriched with many views of art, music, religion, politics and dreams of our purpose in the world. All these ideas were expressed through the works of the beat writers of this time. Among one of the most innovative beats is Lawrence Ferilinghetti, the co-founder of the City Lights Bookstore. Located in North Beach, San Francisco, City Lights Bookstore was mainly known for publishing poetry and works of the beat authors such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Carlos Williams, and Ferlinghetti himself. It is an independently owned bookstore dedicated to world literature, art, and progressive politics with an emphasis in works relating to San Francisco culture.
Many of the beats often resided in San Francisco, the core of the counterculture of this time, though they also spent a significant amount of time traveling the triangle from San Francisco to New York to Mexico, and all that lies between. Among one of these places connected to the San Francisco “contado” is the serene climate of Big Sur. San Francisco and Big Sur are connected by the twists and turns of Highway 1, which follows the coast South from Orange County, all the way North up to Mendocino County. Big Sur was an alternative to the fast-paced city life. Many artists and writers of San Francisco would retreat to Big Sur to gather their thoughts, relax and take in the beauty and serenity of the ocean with its rocky coastlines and the abundant wilderness it had to offer. Here, these beat authors could quietly write of the times they had while traveling and living in the city and around the world, while staying among the familiar scenes of the ocean with fellow writers for inspiration.
Among one of the writers to escape to the solitude of Big Sur was Lawrwnce Ferlinghetti. Since he owned a cabin in the coastal mountains of Big Sur, other beat writers made use of this space themselves. Jack Kerouac’s Novel Big Sur is based on the truth of his life as a famous writer and the weight it put on him. In the novel he goes to Big Sur to get away from the stress and madness of the city life and its expectations, to relax and forget about the world as he knew it. Instead of releasing his problems in Big Sur, he begins obsessively drinking, and ruining his relationship with all the people he knows and his appreciation for the beautiful things in life, like Big Sur.
Many other authors along with Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti flead to the solitude of Big Sur such as Henry Miller, Hunter S. Thompson and Richard Brautigan. It was always and remains today as a quiet retreat, a beautiful pocket of ocean and forest, away from the crazy popular urban city of San Francisco, home to many artists and authors alike.
Bibliography
Discusses the history, climate, tourism, and demographics of San Francisco.
A review and summary of Jack Kerouac's novel Big Sur.
This site describes the route of Highway 1; the cities it passes through North and South Bound.
Kerouac, Jack. Big Sur. New York: Penguin Books, 1962
Jack Kerouac's novel including his experiance while staying in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur, California.
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