Tribute to Jack Kerouac: 100 Years, Still Alive!

Are you curious about Jack Kerouac’s francophone legacy and the French fact in the United States in the first half of the 20th century? The Tribute to Jack Kerouac: 100 Years, Still Alive! panel, organized in collaboration with the Quebec Delegation in Boston as part of the Mois de la Francophonie 2022, will be held on March 15, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. (EDT).

Jack Kerouac is a significant figure among the American writers of the 20th century. Through his many writings, he contributed to the survival of francophone communities in the United States. On the road, published in 1957, is the author’s best-known work. It is one of the bedrock novels of the American Beat Generation literary and cultural movement.

During this unique event, three panellists will present different aspects of the legacy and work of the French-Canadian author. Herménégilde Chiasson, director of Le grand Jack, will discuss Jack Kerouac’s childhood and life. Jean-Christophe Cloutier, associate professor of literature at the University of Pennsylvania and editor of La vie est d’hommage, a collection of Kerouac’s unpublished French writings, will share the peculiarities of the author’s vision and writings in his mother tongue. Susan Pinette, director of the University of Maine’s Office of Franco-American Affairs, will explain the connection between Jack Kerouac’s writings and the Franco-American identity, as well as how his work was received by American critics.