Even during his lifetime, Kerouac was proclaimed “King of the Beats,” but he invariably refused this title. All of his work, which served as a catalyst for the counterculture, is permeated with the desire to break free from social patterns and find meaning in life. These searches led to the fact that he either tested his body and psyche to the limit, then began to master spiritual teachings, primarily Buddhism, or traveled around the country and the world. The novels offered to your attention are also dedicated to such travels. Kerouac went to Paris to look for his roots, research genealogy - and found enlightenment; he went to Mexico to visit William Burroughs - and there he met a girl of difficult fate named Tristessa... The novel “Tristessa” is published in Russian for the first time, “Satori in Paris” - in a new translation.