Jack Kerouac gave a voice to a whole generation in literature; during his short life he managed to write about 20 books of prose and poetry and became the most famous and controversial author of his time. Some branded him as a subverter of foundations, others considered him a classic of modern culture, but from his books all the beatniks and hipsters learned to write - to write not what you know, but what you see, firmly believing that the world itself will reveal its nature. The novel On the Road brought Kerouac worldwide fame and became a classic of American literature; it was a story about the fate and pain of an entire generation, structured like a jazz improvisation. Sandwiched between Dharma Bums and Big Sur, Maggie Cassidy is a poignant, autobiographical tale of first love, a small-town teenager's coming of age, a boy's transformation into a man, and the inevitable losses and disappointments that await him along the way. .