The First Third
by Neal Cassady
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Immortalized as Dean Moriarty by Jack Kerouac in his epic novel, On the Road, Neal Cassady was infamous for his unstoppable energy and his overwhelming charm, his savvy hustle and his devil-may-care attitude. A treasured friend and traveling companion of Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Ken Kesey, to name just some of his cohorts on the beatnik path, Cassady lived life to the fullest, ready for inspiration at any turn. Before he died in Mexico in 1968, just four days shy of show more his forty-second birthday, Cassady had written the jacket blurb for this book: "Seldom has there been a story of a man so balled up. No doubt many readers will not believe the veracity of the author, but I assure these doubting Thomases that every incident, as such, is true." As Ferlinghetti writes in his editor's note, Cassady was "an early prototype of the urban cowboy who a hundred years ago might have been an outlaw on the range." Here are his autobiographical writings, the rambling American saga of a truly free individual. Neal Cassady (1926-1968) was a key figure and writer during the Beat Generation and is known as the inspiration for Jack Kerouac's immortalizing character Dean Moriarty. In 1946, Cassady traveled to New York City where he met famous Beat poets and writers such as Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Cassady's works were never published during his lifetime. show lessTags
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This book is mildly ridiculous by any standard. [a: Neal Cassady|79334|Neal Cassady|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267720258p2/79334.jpg] is something of an unsung legend nowadays. The inspiration for [a: Jack Kerouac|1742|Jack Kerouac|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1430512644p2/1742.jpg]'s well-remembered Dean Moriarty, Cassady was the fuel that ignited the fire of the Beat movement. He was admired for his rapid-fire style, his mad adventures, and his boundless enthusiasm. Which is ridiculous, as I said before, as the first half of this book plods horribly.
That isn't to say this isn't interesting.
Cassady paints a vibrant picture of the time in which he lived. His concerns are, likewise, the concerns of any poor boy growing up in the show more 20s and 30s. The book really shines once the story truly gets going, which sadly is where it then stops. Thankfully, the letters and excerpts that pepper the back-end of the book are a welcome change from his restricted narrative style.
A must read for any fans of the Beats, if they'd care to get an idea for just how the movement itself came into being. show less
That isn't to say this isn't interesting.
Cassady paints a vibrant picture of the time in which he lived. His concerns are, likewise, the concerns of any poor boy growing up in the show more 20s and 30s. The book really shines once the story truly gets going, which sadly is where it then stops. Thankfully, the letters and excerpts that pepper the back-end of the book are a welcome change from his restricted narrative style.
A must read for any fans of the Beats, if they'd care to get an idea for just how the movement itself came into being. show less
Limped into the end on this one. He was a much more romantic figure til I read him in his own words. Exuberant, sure. But honestly, everything post-pubescent in this book is totally obsessed with his own dick. Please.
Real shame Cassady wasn't able to finish this - all the same, the book is well worth reading as it genuinly conveys a real impression of the man behind the 'Dean Moriarty' myth.
For me this book is inspiration! Never forget child in yourself... Always explore and search for new things! This book is great - every life is treasure to be found!
El primer tercio recoge algunos fragmentos del proyecto de Neal Cassady, la figura más inspiradora de la generación beatnik, de redactar su autobiografía.
Aug 20, 2008Spanish
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13+ Works 771 Members
Neal Cassady was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 8, 1926. He was raised by an alcoholic father in skid row hotels and spent time in reform schools and juvenile prisons. While visiting a friend in New York in December 1946, he met Jack Kerouac and Allen S. Ginsberg. Together they would become part of the Beat movement. Cassady appeared as show more a main character in several books including Go by John Clellon Holmes, On the Road by Kerouac, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. After a night of hard partying in Mexico, Cassady wandered onto a deserted railroad, intending to walk fifteen miles to the next town. It was a cold rainy night and he fell asleep on the way wearing only a t-shirt and jeans. He was found beside the tracks the next morning in a coma and died on February 4, 1968. He never published a book during his life, but his unfinished autobiography was published as The First Third and Other Writings after his death. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Star Books (22)
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The First third
- Original publication date
- 1971
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Statistics
- Members
- 368
- Popularity
- 84,834
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.36)
- Languages
- 7 — English, French, German, Portuguese, Croatian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 4
