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 only collection of short prose in his literary heritage, “The Lonely Wanderer,” was released after the phenomenal success of the novel “On the Road,” which was declared a manifesto of a generation, and contains travel notes presented in Kerouac’s inimitable style.