What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sea is My Brother
The Sea is My Brother is Jack Kerouac's very first novel, begun shortly after his tour as a merchant sailor in 1942. Lost during his lifetime, it is an intense portrait of friendship and brotherhood and a meditation on the desire to escape society, following the fortunes of two men as they impulsively decide to work their passage on the S.S. Westminster: drinking, arguing, playing cards, dodging torpedoes and contemplating the vast, terrible beauty of the sea. Published with fragments of early stories and letters, this visceral work gives a unique insight into the young Kerouac and the formation of his genius.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2011
169 people are currently reading
3175 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kerouac
376 books11.6k followersJean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian ancestry, Kerouac was raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts. He "learned English at age six and spoke with a marked accent into his late teens." During World War II, he served in the United States Merchant Marine; he completed his first novel at the time, which was published more than 40 years after his death. His first published book was The Town and the City (1950), and he achieved widespread fame and notoriety with his second, On the Road, in 1957. It made him a beat icon, and he went on to publish 12 more novels and numerous poetry volumes.
Kerouac is recognized for his style of stream of consciousness spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as his Catholic spirituality, jazz, travel, promiscuity, life in New York City, Buddhism, drugs, and poverty. He became an underground celebrity and, with other Beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements. He has a lasting legacy, greatly influencing many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jerry Garcia and The Doors.
In 1969, at the age of 47, Kerouac died from an abdominal hemorrhage caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. Since then, his literary prestige has grown, and several previously unseen works have been published.
Of French-Canadian ancestry, Kerouac was raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts. He "learned English at age six and spoke with a marked accent into his late teens." During World War II, he served in the United States Merchant Marine; he completed his first novel at the time, which was published more than 40 years after his death. His first published book was The Town and the City (1950), and he achieved widespread fame and notoriety with his second, On the Road, in 1957. It made him a beat icon, and he went on to publish 12 more novels and numerous poetry volumes.
Kerouac is recognized for his style of stream of consciousness spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as his Catholic spirituality, jazz, travel, promiscuity, life in New York City, Buddhism, drugs, and poverty. He became an underground celebrity and, with other Beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements. He has a lasting legacy, greatly influencing many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jerry Garcia and The Doors.
In 1969, at the age of 47, Kerouac died from an abdominal hemorrhage caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. Since then, his literary prestige has grown, and several previously unseen works have been published.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
April 18, 2018
Πρώτη γνωριμία με Τζακ Κερουακ και δηλώνω εντυπωσιασμένη από την πραγματικά μοναδική απλότητα της γραφής του που κάνει την ανάγνωση των κειμένων του μια πραγματικά πολύ ξεχωριστή και ενδιαφέρουσα εμπειρία. Μέσα από τα κείμενα του ο συγγραφέας βρίσκεται σε μια συνεχή και διαρκή αναζήτηση. Το βιβλίο χωρίζεται σε τρία μέρη. Στο πρώτο μέρος μπορεί κανείς να διαβάσει το πρώτο «χαμένο» αυτοβιογραφικό έργο του Κέρουακ που μέχρι πρότινος δεν είχε κυκλοφορήσει και μας διηγείται την περίοδο όπου ο Κέρουακ κατατάχθηκε στο εμπορικό ναυτικό Μέσα από τα ημερολόγια του περιγράφει κάθε λεπτομέρεια του ταξιδιού του, καταγράφει την εικόνα της Αμερικής εκείνης της εποχής ενώ κριτικός πυρήνας της αφήγησης είναι η σχέση που αναπτύσσεται ανάμεσα στους δυο βασικούς ήρωες της ιστορίας. Ήρωες γεμάτους όνειρα και φιλοδοξίες. Το δεύτερο μέρος του βιβλίου περιλαμβάνει μικρά κείμενα του Κέρουακ γραμμέα κατά τη διάρκεια της δεκαετίας του 30 όταν εκείνος ήταν φοιτητής στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Κολούμπια με τον Κέρουακ να πειραματίζεται σε διαφορετικά είδη γραφής δείχνοντας από τότε το ευρύτερο φάσμα της πένας του. Το τρίτο και κατά τα δικά μου γούστα πιο ενδιαφέρον μέρος του βιβλίου αποτελείται από τις δεκάδες επιστολές που αντάλλασσε με συνταξιδιώτες του με κύρια θέση να κατέχει η επικοινωνία του με τον Sebastian Sampas την αδερφή του οποίου αργότερα παντρεύεται ο Κέρουακ όπως μαθαίνουμε στον επίλογο του βιβλίου. ‘Ενας λόγος που εγω προσωπικά βρήκα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον το συγκεκριμένο κομμάτι του βιβλίου είναι γιατί θεωρώ ότι ήταν η πρώτη φορά που μου δόθηκε η δυνατότητα, τουλάχιστον αυτή τη στιγμή δε θυμάμαι να υπήρξε άλλη φορά όπου δίνεται η δυνατότητα στον αναγνώστη να γνωρίσει ένα συγγραφέα και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο εκείνος ανέπτυξε τη γραφή του πολύ πριν γίνει ευρέως γνωστός, πολύ πριν γράψει το πρώτο του έργο. Μέσα από τις επιστολές αυτές ο αναγνώστης μπορεί να γνωρίσει τον Κέρουακ, να μάθει τις εσωτερικές αναζητήσεις του, τι ιδέες του. Ένα απίστευτο ping pong γνώσης μέσα τους μοναδικούς διαλόγους του με το φίλο του.
Μοναδική εμπειρία συνίσταται ανεπιφύλακτα. Άξιος συγχαρητηρίων και ο μεταφραστής του βιβλίου. Εξαιρετική και ιδιαίτερα φροντισμένη επιμέλεια.
Μοναδική εμπειρία συνίσταται ανεπιφύλακτα. Άξιος συγχαρητηρίων και ο μεταφραστής του βιβλίου. Εξαιρετική και ιδιαίτερα φροντισμένη επιμέλεια.
May 15, 2013
Like certain albums, certain writers feel like a season to me. It's an arbitrary association, often stemming from a personal relevance that corresponds to some insignificant-but-for-its-inexplicable-permanence first-encounter moment. Because I was introduced to Jack Kerouac via On the Road at a fleetingly crucial moment in my life during my last spring as a college student, when things were just starting to make sense as the future emerged from its hazy distance, my heady urge to get lost in his rhythmic idiosyncrasies rises with the daily temperatures.
I was going to scratch that deep itch with Big Sur and had gone so far as to grab it from the shelf and curl up with it on the sofa, but a conversation with my Beat-loving husband urged me toward The Sea is My Brother instead. Before diving into it, I read a little about Jack's lost first novel: Turns out, homeboy hated it. Enough so that he didn't even try publishing it, hence its long-delayed posthumous release.
And it's not perfect. Not at all, especially from a technical standpoint: My version, though I'm willing to forgive an awful lot as the usual Kindle-transference issues, needed at least one more round of careful editing because there are typographical errors here -- missing words, mixed tenses, inconsistent spellings, straight-up typos -- running amok like self-destructive sailors on shore leave. There are certainly parts where this reads like the first novel it is, penned by a developing writer who hasn't quite found his voice, which was charmingly unpretentious at certain points but presented itself as sloppiness nearly as often. My biggest issue also happens to be one of my biggest peeves, a holdover from my journalism days: Attribution should be predominately rendered as "said," otherwise it sounds like the writer is trying too hard and telling when he could be showing if "remembered," "admitted," "exclaimed," "professed" and a host of other cop-out verbs are used to express who's saying what and how at a rate anything other than sparingly. And that being a mainstay of this novel bothered me more than the four stars suggest. (Though I can stomach this better than its ugly cousin, the far more irksome repetition of "so-and-so said, [adverb]," which is partly why I'll never read Charlaine Harris's stuff ever again.)
But damn if I didn't enjoy this quick-reading little novel despite all my pedantic gripings and the unfair expectation that this would be On the Road: At Sea. While there are absolutely no traces within these pages of the style that Kerouac would later develop (which is kind of a shame because I am rather fond of it) and that would become synonymous with his name, this is every ounce a Kerouac novel thematically. In that way, it was a little like a stripped-down acoustic performance of a much-loved, multi-layered song: Gone are the flashy elements that probably hooked you in the first place to the point where you've played the song on infinite repeat so you could explore every inch of a tune destined become a desert-island, slipped-into-every-mix, top-five staple of your musical diet, leaving the strength of its backbone, the beauty of the lyricism and the raw talent of the musician himself to shine through to a resounding success, as there are few greater joys than seeing an old favorite in a new light.
Unsurprisingly, Jack has again cast himself in the lead (because why not write who you know?); the difference here is that he has divided himself into two characters -- Wes, the drunken, rollicking merchant marine who lives both in and for the moment and cares little for attachments that only exist to lash him to one place, and Bill, the quiet bookworm whose unassuming existence as an assistant professor at Columbia hides a deep-rooted dissatisfaction dwelling within him that's born of simply learning and reading about life rather than living it -- who prove that there is no better foil for an individual's conflicted duality than himself. The constant pull-and-push between Wes Martin, A.B. (as in rank) and Bill Everhart, A.B., M.A. (as in degrees) presents Kerouac's own desire to reconcile his intellectual side with his hard-drinking, hard-living, suck-the-marrow-from-life inclinations. And it presents the maelstrom that lives inside any individual with both feet planted in two opposing worlds better than any traditional autobiography ever could, with the bonus of proving that you will always be an absolute stranger to yourself if you never barrel headfirst into wholly unknown terrain to discover the unknown aspects of your personality that arise to tackle never-before-encountered hurdles. It is a testament to discovery of the self through an ever-widening scope of the world.
The wanderlust that propels the perpetual-motion machines that are Kerouac's writings unflaggingly forward is undeniable here. The ship that Wes and Bill are working on doesn't set sail until the novel is nearly over but their high-seas adventure was never intended to be the story itself. It is Bill's uncharacteristically impulsive decision to abandon his safely routine existence to gain a whole new set of skills at 32 by starting at the bottom of the merchant marines and his ensuing uncertainty that comprise a considerable chunk of the novel, serving as a near-perfect illustration of how taking that flying leap of faith toward a life-altering opportunity is just as important as the journey itself. By way of Bill's run-ins with his shipmates, especially an old friend of Wes's, we also get to see how two people can arrive at the same raging dissatisfaction from two completely diametrically opposed vantage points and still have valid arguments, whether the other can concede to it or not. Such objectivity is the bonus end-product of using biographical nuggets as a jumping-off point for an exploration of basic human truths and working out one's own internal struggles through fictional avatars.
There is peace on the ocean, in surrendering to something bigger and unpredictable (Kerouac even allayed my own usually implacable fears of water interrupted only by sky with his characters' slow epiphanies). We see it in how hot-blooded Wes can finally breathe again, how others succumb to the siren's song of alcohol on board but he loses himself in the tiniest contributions to his brothers of the sea and marvels at how different the rising sun looks at all points of the Earth, how Bill finds comfort in the new routine of his lowly position and its simplicity, how he now looks at himself through the eyes of strangers who will become a part of him by the time he returns to the home that once was all he knew.
I was going to scratch that deep itch with Big Sur and had gone so far as to grab it from the shelf and curl up with it on the sofa, but a conversation with my Beat-loving husband urged me toward The Sea is My Brother instead. Before diving into it, I read a little about Jack's lost first novel: Turns out, homeboy hated it. Enough so that he didn't even try publishing it, hence its long-delayed posthumous release.
And it's not perfect. Not at all, especially from a technical standpoint: My version, though I'm willing to forgive an awful lot as the usual Kindle-transference issues, needed at least one more round of careful editing because there are typographical errors here -- missing words, mixed tenses, inconsistent spellings, straight-up typos -- running amok like self-destructive sailors on shore leave. There are certainly parts where this reads like the first novel it is, penned by a developing writer who hasn't quite found his voice, which was charmingly unpretentious at certain points but presented itself as sloppiness nearly as often. My biggest issue also happens to be one of my biggest peeves, a holdover from my journalism days: Attribution should be predominately rendered as "said," otherwise it sounds like the writer is trying too hard and telling when he could be showing if "remembered," "admitted," "exclaimed," "professed" and a host of other cop-out verbs are used to express who's saying what and how at a rate anything other than sparingly. And that being a mainstay of this novel bothered me more than the four stars suggest. (Though I can stomach this better than its ugly cousin, the far more irksome repetition of "so-and-so said, [adverb]," which is partly why I'll never read Charlaine Harris's stuff ever again.)
But damn if I didn't enjoy this quick-reading little novel despite all my pedantic gripings and the unfair expectation that this would be On the Road: At Sea. While there are absolutely no traces within these pages of the style that Kerouac would later develop (which is kind of a shame because I am rather fond of it) and that would become synonymous with his name, this is every ounce a Kerouac novel thematically. In that way, it was a little like a stripped-down acoustic performance of a much-loved, multi-layered song: Gone are the flashy elements that probably hooked you in the first place to the point where you've played the song on infinite repeat so you could explore every inch of a tune destined become a desert-island, slipped-into-every-mix, top-five staple of your musical diet, leaving the strength of its backbone, the beauty of the lyricism and the raw talent of the musician himself to shine through to a resounding success, as there are few greater joys than seeing an old favorite in a new light.
Unsurprisingly, Jack has again cast himself in the lead (because why not write who you know?); the difference here is that he has divided himself into two characters -- Wes, the drunken, rollicking merchant marine who lives both in and for the moment and cares little for attachments that only exist to lash him to one place, and Bill, the quiet bookworm whose unassuming existence as an assistant professor at Columbia hides a deep-rooted dissatisfaction dwelling within him that's born of simply learning and reading about life rather than living it -- who prove that there is no better foil for an individual's conflicted duality than himself. The constant pull-and-push between Wes Martin, A.B. (as in rank) and Bill Everhart, A.B., M.A. (as in degrees) presents Kerouac's own desire to reconcile his intellectual side with his hard-drinking, hard-living, suck-the-marrow-from-life inclinations. And it presents the maelstrom that lives inside any individual with both feet planted in two opposing worlds better than any traditional autobiography ever could, with the bonus of proving that you will always be an absolute stranger to yourself if you never barrel headfirst into wholly unknown terrain to discover the unknown aspects of your personality that arise to tackle never-before-encountered hurdles. It is a testament to discovery of the self through an ever-widening scope of the world.
The wanderlust that propels the perpetual-motion machines that are Kerouac's writings unflaggingly forward is undeniable here. The ship that Wes and Bill are working on doesn't set sail until the novel is nearly over but their high-seas adventure was never intended to be the story itself. It is Bill's uncharacteristically impulsive decision to abandon his safely routine existence to gain a whole new set of skills at 32 by starting at the bottom of the merchant marines and his ensuing uncertainty that comprise a considerable chunk of the novel, serving as a near-perfect illustration of how taking that flying leap of faith toward a life-altering opportunity is just as important as the journey itself. By way of Bill's run-ins with his shipmates, especially an old friend of Wes's, we also get to see how two people can arrive at the same raging dissatisfaction from two completely diametrically opposed vantage points and still have valid arguments, whether the other can concede to it or not. Such objectivity is the bonus end-product of using biographical nuggets as a jumping-off point for an exploration of basic human truths and working out one's own internal struggles through fictional avatars.
There is peace on the ocean, in surrendering to something bigger and unpredictable (Kerouac even allayed my own usually implacable fears of water interrupted only by sky with his characters' slow epiphanies). We see it in how hot-blooded Wes can finally breathe again, how others succumb to the siren's song of alcohol on board but he loses himself in the tiniest contributions to his brothers of the sea and marvels at how different the rising sun looks at all points of the Earth, how Bill finds comfort in the new routine of his lowly position and its simplicity, how he now looks at himself through the eyes of strangers who will become a part of him by the time he returns to the home that once was all he knew.
February 22, 2025
Ένα απολαυστικό βιβλίο, που μας μεταφέρει στην Αμερική των 30’s. Μια διαφορετική Νέα Υόρκη, πιο ανθρώπινη. Δύο νέοι άνθρωποι που ξεκινούν με ωτοστόπ για τη Βοστόνη, ώστε να μπαρκάρουν σε εμπορικό πλοίο για τη Γροιλανδία. Όλο το σκηνικό με το ξενύχτι της προηγούμενης νύχτας στα μπαρ της Νέας Υόρκης και το «μεγάλο» ταξίδι. Οι περιγραφές φαντάζουν καλύτερες από μια καλογυρισμένη ταινία. Όσο για τους ήρωες, πρόκειται για νέους γεμάτους όνειρα, προερχόμενοι από φτωχές οικογένειες, παρ’ όλα αυτά πολιτικοποιημένοι και φιλόσοφοι. Ξεχωρίζουν για την απλότητα και την ανθρωπιά τους. Εμφανής η όρεξη τους για ζωή, μακριά από δεσμεύσεις.
Αυτό ήταν το πρώτο μέρος. Το δεύτερο αποτελείται από μικρά κείμενα του συγγραφέα, όχι κάτι το ιδιαίτερο. Το τρίτο μέρος, όμως είναι συγκλονιστικό. Αποτελείται από επιστολές μεταξύ του Kerouac και του καλύτερού του φίλου, με ποικίλα θέματα, όπως πολιτική, φιλοσοφία, ποίηση, ηθική κτλ. Πρόκειται για οργασμό ιδεών. Είναι εντυπωσιακή η διαύγεια και των δύο. Πραγματικά μια εγκυκλοπαίδεια. Δεν λείπουν οι σχολιασμοί συγγραφέων και φιλοσόφων όπως ο Ντοστογιέφσκι, ο Νίτσε κτλ. Επίσης, αξιόλογα είναι τα ποιήματα και τα μικρά θεατρικά μονόπρακτα που στέλνει ο ένας στον άλλον.
«Ξέρω ότι αυτό το γράμμα είναι εξαιρετικά χαοτικό αλλά έστω κι έτσι μπόρεσα μάλλον να υπερασπιστώ κάποια από τα επιχειρήματά μου. Είσαι αφάνταστα τυχερός που μπορείς να έχεις κάποια βιβλία. Δεν υπάρχουν καθόλου βιβλία εδώ, αλλά εγώ κατάφερα να γράψω αρκετά και πρόσθεσα ακόμα μια πράξη στο οργιαστικό θεατρικό μου έργο. Σε παρακαλώ, μη με παρεξηγείς – δεν επιχειρώ να προβάλω αυτές τις ιδέες για να ικανοποιήσω το εγώ μου – δεν υπάρχει τίποτα που να απεχθάνομαι όσο αυτό. Και σε βεβαιώνω ότι δεν πάσχω από κανένα μεσσιανικό σύμπλεγμα, αλλά όσο είμαι νέος και αγαπάω την αλήθεια οφείλω να γράφω για τα πράγματα όπως τα βλέπω».
Εξαιρετική η μετάφραση του Γιώργου – Ίκαρου Μπαμπασάκη. Δίνει άλλη πνοή στο έργο. Από τις λίγες φορές που μια μετάφραση καταλαβαίνεις ότι σκίζει, χωρίς να έχεις διαβάσει το πρωτότυπο.
Πρ��τη επαφή με Jack Kerouac. Δηλώνω εντυπωσιασμένος. Επίσης, διαπιστώνω πως η αμερικανική λογοτεχνία μου ταιριάζει.
Αυτό ήταν το πρώτο μέρος. Το δεύτερο αποτελείται από μικρά κείμενα του συγγραφέα, όχι κάτι το ιδιαίτερο. Το τρίτο μέρος, όμως είναι συγκλονιστικό. Αποτελείται από επιστολές μεταξύ του Kerouac και του καλύτερού του φίλου, με ποικίλα θέματα, όπως πολιτική, φιλοσοφία, ποίηση, ηθική κτλ. Πρόκειται για οργασμό ιδεών. Είναι εντυπωσιακή η διαύγεια και των δύο. Πραγματικά μια εγκυκλοπαίδεια. Δεν λείπουν οι σχολιασμοί συγγραφέων και φιλοσόφων όπως ο Ντοστογιέφσκι, ο Νίτσε κτλ. Επίσης, αξιόλογα είναι τα ποιήματα και τα μικρά θεατρικά μονόπρακτα που στέλνει ο ένας στον άλλον.
«Ξέρω ότι αυτό το γράμμα είναι εξαιρετικά χαοτικό αλλά έστω κι έτσι μπόρεσα μάλλον να υπερασπιστώ κάποια από τα επιχειρήματά μου. Είσαι αφάνταστα τυχερός που μπορείς να έχεις κάποια βιβλία. Δεν υπάρχουν καθόλου βιβλία εδώ, αλλά εγώ κατάφερα να γράψω αρκετά και πρόσθεσα ακόμα μια πράξη στο οργιαστικό θεατρικό μου έργο. Σε παρακαλώ, μη με παρεξηγείς – δεν επιχειρώ να προβάλω αυτές τις ιδέες για να ικανοποιήσω το εγώ μου – δεν υπάρχει τίποτα που να απεχθάνομαι όσο αυτό. Και σε βεβαιώνω ότι δεν πάσχω από κανένα μεσσιανικό σύμπλεγμα, αλλά όσο είμαι νέος και αγαπάω την αλήθεια οφείλω να γράφω για τα πράγματα όπως τα βλέπω».
Εξαιρετική η μετάφραση του Γιώργου – Ίκαρου Μπαμπασάκη. Δίνει άλλη πνοή στο έργο. Από τις λίγες φορές που μια μετάφραση καταλαβαίνεις ότι σκίζει, χωρίς να έχεις διαβάσει το πρωτότυπο.
Πρ��τη επαφή με Jack Kerouac. Δηλώνω εντυπωσιασμένος. Επίσης, διαπιστώνω πως η αμερικανική λογοτεχνία μου ταιριάζει.
December 23, 2024
Mostly of interest to Kerouac superfans, this early novel was unpublished in Kerouac's lifetime. It is noticeably an early work, and the "rough draft" feeling lingers.
The introduction is interesting, in that it includes journal excerpts from Kerouac's time in the merchant marine. Some of these sharp character studies are much more interesting than the material in this manuscript; enough to make one wonder if he was holding back, as sometimes young writers do, before becoming more confident in his voice and his style. Of course, too, this manuscript has not have the benefit of becoming more polished by working with an editor.
The novel is leaden at times with long philosophical discussions between characters — as was almost mandatory in "serious" novels. These passages slow down the plot, and many other more promising plot threads remain undeveloped.
Three stars because, well, why not. One can see the seeds of On the Road here, as well as gaining insight into the learning curve of the writing process. Not completely terrible, one can certainly see the promise of better prose to come — of course that might be the wisdom of hindsight speaking.
The introduction is interesting, in that it includes journal excerpts from Kerouac's time in the merchant marine. Some of these sharp character studies are much more interesting than the material in this manuscript; enough to make one wonder if he was holding back, as sometimes young writers do, before becoming more confident in his voice and his style. Of course, too, this manuscript has not have the benefit of becoming more polished by working with an editor.
The novel is leaden at times with long philosophical discussions between characters — as was almost mandatory in "serious" novels. These passages slow down the plot, and many other more promising plot threads remain undeveloped.
Three stars because, well, why not. One can see the seeds of On the Road here, as well as gaining insight into the learning curve of the writing process. Not completely terrible, one can certainly see the promise of better prose to come — of course that might be the wisdom of hindsight speaking.
October 29, 2022
An Early Kerouac Novel
Jack Kerouac (1922 -- 1969) painstakingly wrote "The Sea is my Brother", his first novel, in longhand in 1943 at the age of 21. The book predates by seven years "The Town and the City" (1950), Kerouac's first published novel. The Town and the City Published at last in 2012, "The Sea is my Brother" includes a perceptive introduction and analysis of the book by Kerouac scholar Dawn Ward. Joyce Johnson's recent biography of Kerouac, "The Voice is All: The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac" also discusses this early effort.
The book is readable in its own right and for the insights it offers into the United States during the early days of WW II. There is a great deal of rambling, philosophical discussion about Marxism, fascism, and the goal of the War. The theme of the book is that opposition to fascism and support of socialism are insufficient, in their materialism, to make life meaningful. Spirituality, individuality, and a sense of human brotherhood independent of economics and politics, Kerouac suggests, are necessary for the good life and good society.
The short novel tells the story of two young men, Wesley Martin and Bill Everhart. The two characters are in fact one as each displays aspects of Kerouac's divided personality. As the book progresses, whether by design or by shortcomings in Kerouac's early writing, it becomes ever more difficult to distinguish the voices of the two nominally separate protagonists.
Martin is a lonely wanderer of 27 who has been at sea since the age of 17 when his youthful marriage fell apart. Everhart in an Assistant Professor of English and American Literature at Columbia University who lives with his sister and her husband and young child together with their aging father in an overcrowded apartment. Everhart is dissatisfied with himself and with what he sees as the meaningless of academic life.
The book has many of the components of Kerouac's later works in its scenes of lonely walks through city streets, long evenings of drinking, and ranting discussions between young people heavily in their cups. Returning from a sea voyage, Martin spends through $850 in two weeks before befriending Everhart and a group of young women in a New York City bar. Everhart is persuaded to abandon his academic life and join Martin in signing up for a voyage with the Merchant Marine. During WW II the Merchant Marine was dangerous work indeed as American cargo ships were targeted and sunk with alarming frequency. Kerouac's novel shows Martin and Everhart hitchhiking together from New York City to Boston in scenes that foreshadow "On the Road".
In the final stages of the book, Martin and Everhart sail on the merchant ship the Westminister after another long rowdy and eventful evening in a local bar. Kerouac describes briefly many of the characters on the ship, particularly a large, blues-singing African American cook named Glory with a long colorful past from Richmond.After the Westminister leaves port in the company of a destroyer, the book ends abruptly. Life on the ship is shown as the "Brotherhood of the Sea". "These men",Kerouac writes, "considered the sea a great leveler,a united force, a master comrade brooding over their common loyalties."
This early Kerouac book shows the influence of many writers. It reminded me most of Melville's novels both in its exploration of the motives of young men taking to the sea and in its treatment of divided personalities. "The Sea is my Brother" will be of most interest to readers who admire Kerouac's writing and who want to deepen their understanding of his work.
Robin Friedman
Jack Kerouac (1922 -- 1969) painstakingly wrote "The Sea is my Brother", his first novel, in longhand in 1943 at the age of 21. The book predates by seven years "The Town and the City" (1950), Kerouac's first published novel. The Town and the City Published at last in 2012, "The Sea is my Brother" includes a perceptive introduction and analysis of the book by Kerouac scholar Dawn Ward. Joyce Johnson's recent biography of Kerouac, "The Voice is All: The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac" also discusses this early effort.
The book is readable in its own right and for the insights it offers into the United States during the early days of WW II. There is a great deal of rambling, philosophical discussion about Marxism, fascism, and the goal of the War. The theme of the book is that opposition to fascism and support of socialism are insufficient, in their materialism, to make life meaningful. Spirituality, individuality, and a sense of human brotherhood independent of economics and politics, Kerouac suggests, are necessary for the good life and good society.
The short novel tells the story of two young men, Wesley Martin and Bill Everhart. The two characters are in fact one as each displays aspects of Kerouac's divided personality. As the book progresses, whether by design or by shortcomings in Kerouac's early writing, it becomes ever more difficult to distinguish the voices of the two nominally separate protagonists.
Martin is a lonely wanderer of 27 who has been at sea since the age of 17 when his youthful marriage fell apart. Everhart in an Assistant Professor of English and American Literature at Columbia University who lives with his sister and her husband and young child together with their aging father in an overcrowded apartment. Everhart is dissatisfied with himself and with what he sees as the meaningless of academic life.
The book has many of the components of Kerouac's later works in its scenes of lonely walks through city streets, long evenings of drinking, and ranting discussions between young people heavily in their cups. Returning from a sea voyage, Martin spends through $850 in two weeks before befriending Everhart and a group of young women in a New York City bar. Everhart is persuaded to abandon his academic life and join Martin in signing up for a voyage with the Merchant Marine. During WW II the Merchant Marine was dangerous work indeed as American cargo ships were targeted and sunk with alarming frequency. Kerouac's novel shows Martin and Everhart hitchhiking together from New York City to Boston in scenes that foreshadow "On the Road".
In the final stages of the book, Martin and Everhart sail on the merchant ship the Westminister after another long rowdy and eventful evening in a local bar. Kerouac describes briefly many of the characters on the ship, particularly a large, blues-singing African American cook named Glory with a long colorful past from Richmond.After the Westminister leaves port in the company of a destroyer, the book ends abruptly. Life on the ship is shown as the "Brotherhood of the Sea". "These men",Kerouac writes, "considered the sea a great leveler,a united force, a master comrade brooding over their common loyalties."
This early Kerouac book shows the influence of many writers. It reminded me most of Melville's novels both in its exploration of the motives of young men taking to the sea and in its treatment of divided personalities. "The Sea is my Brother" will be of most interest to readers who admire Kerouac's writing and who want to deepen their understanding of his work.
Robin Friedman
June 2, 2012
Rarely does a publishing event of this magnitude happen. I am fortunate it occurred in my lifetime.
"The Sea is my Brother" was a undiscovered first novel of Jack Kerouac published decades after his death and written some ten odd years before his seminal work, "On the Road".
In this book, the road is the sea, dark, unfathomable and threatening with the unseen and sudden insanity of the violence of war.
The two main characters are a composite of the author. On the one side is the yearning for carefree travel and adventure. (Merchant Marine service) On the other side, the life of a settled scholar with duties to family and tasks of everyday living. (A college professor from Columbia).
The two sides are naturally in conflict and difficult, if not impossible to reconcile. It recalls the earlier struggle of mankind when the hunter-gatherer abandoned his peripatetic lifestyle to farm; and later when farming was abandoned for city life.
In the microcosm, we as individuals are charged with getting along in society with our fellow man and reconcile, or at the very least, accommodate conflicting philosophies and belief systems that pit us against each other.
"The Sea is my Brother" was a undiscovered first novel of Jack Kerouac published decades after his death and written some ten odd years before his seminal work, "On the Road".
In this book, the road is the sea, dark, unfathomable and threatening with the unseen and sudden insanity of the violence of war.
The two main characters are a composite of the author. On the one side is the yearning for carefree travel and adventure. (Merchant Marine service) On the other side, the life of a settled scholar with duties to family and tasks of everyday living. (A college professor from Columbia).
The two sides are naturally in conflict and difficult, if not impossible to reconcile. It recalls the earlier struggle of mankind when the hunter-gatherer abandoned his peripatetic lifestyle to farm; and later when farming was abandoned for city life.
In the microcosm, we as individuals are charged with getting along in society with our fellow man and reconcile, or at the very least, accommodate conflicting philosophies and belief systems that pit us against each other.
April 27, 2022
Το πρώτο μέρος, το μυθιστόρημα καθαυτό, είναι πολύ καλό και προμηνύει τον τυφώνα Τζακ που θα επέλθει τόσο στην αμερικανική όσο και στην παγκόσμια λογοτεχνία.
Το δεύτερο μέρος είναι άκρως ενδιαφέρον τόσο ως προς τις σκέψεις του Ίδιου του Κέρουακ όσο και προς την περίπτωση Σάββας. Ο οποίος από τις επιστολές του σκιαγραφείται ως οτιδήποτε άλλο εκτός από σταθερός χαρακτήρας. Πραγματικά κουραστικά να τον παρακολουθώ να αλλάζει απόψεις από βδομάδα σε βδομάδα.
Σαν σύνολο νομίζω ότι ο συγκεκριμένος τόμος είναι απαραίτητος και άκρως διαφωτιστικός για το έργο και τον ίδιο τον άνθρωπο και τη σφυρηλάτηση του χαρακτήρα του Τζακ Κέρουακ. Απαραίτητο ανάγνωσμα για κάθε λάτρη του βασιλιά των μπιτ.
Το δεύτερο μέρος είναι άκρως ενδιαφέρον τόσο ως προς τις σκέψεις του Ίδιου του Κέρουακ όσο και προς την περίπτωση Σάββας. Ο οποίος από τις επιστολές του σκιαγραφείται ως οτιδήποτε άλλο εκτός από σταθερός χαρακτήρας. Πραγματικά κουραστικά να τον παρακολουθώ να αλλάζει απόψεις από βδομάδα σε βδομάδα.
Σαν σύνολο νομίζω ότι ο συγκεκριμένος τόμος είναι απαραίτητος και άκρως διαφωτιστικός για το έργο και τον ίδιο τον άνθρωπο και τη σφυρηλάτηση του χαρακτήρα του Τζακ Κέρουακ. Απαραίτητο ανάγνωσμα για κάθε λάτρη του βασιλιά των μπιτ.
May 13, 2012
I remember Kerouac biographer Ann Charter arguing in the documentary King of the Beats that Kerouac could write in any form and style and that in her extensive study of the man and his work she could see the struggle for a more unique and distinct style. In the Sea is My Brother and also in Atop an Underwood, another pre-On the Road manuscript I’ve read lately, I can see what Ann Charter means. His early work, or “juvenile work” as some reviewers I’ve read have called it, contrasts sharply with his later spontaneous prose style or his more stream of consciousness writing made famous in his classic On the Road. That wasn’t much of a surprise. I was expecting text similar to Town and the City than The Subterraneans. And I wasn’t surprised to see a third person limited omniscience means of perception but I guess I was most surprised in reading the book as to find more themes of brother searching or mentor searching.
The plot shows a very young Kerouac developing themes of friendship and perhaps also themes of the individual choosing more direct experience over the academic or over the intellectual experience. I also thought it interesting that much like Sal Paradise chasing Dean Moriarty in On the Road Kerouac gives us the similar William Everhart and Wesley Martin. William is the bookish and frustrated Columbia English Professor and Martin is the more experienced seaman who entices and convinces the lesser traveled Everhart to sign up for sailor duty. Again as in On the Road we see themes of travel and romanticized world experience—also travel without amenity as romanticized by young men. We also see another trend of Kerouac’s which is to show young men choosing friends, travel and experience—also choosing liquor and excess—over marriage and more secure pursuits. Or as Leonard Gardner calls it in the novel Fat City, choosing the fraternity of men.
My critique of the book is that so many of the conversations seem unnecessarily weighted. Folks drinking and talking about philosophy, communism and socialism rather than more organic and less-telegraphed thematic notes. We see much more subtle dialogue and interaction in On the Road. Again, as in Town and the City I feel like he is trying to be Thomas Wolfe or F Scott Fitzgerald—or maybe even Jack London—by giving important themes in a heavy handed way instead of giving us more natural and spontaneous emotion and dialogue. The sea here is a heavy metaphor whereas the metaphor of the road from later work seems much more effective. Kerouac’s ear for capturing voices and dialogue was evident though. The editor’s note at the beginning of the book is quick to remind that Kerouac sailed with the Merchant Marines and quotes pages from his 1942 “Voyage to Greenland” journal reminding us of Kerouac’s keen eye and ear for observing and his deftly drawn character studies.
In his article “In the Watery Part of the World”, Sam Sacks of the Wall Street Journal calls The Sea is My Brother a “bad book” and shows the young Kerouac’s “inexperience” and I guess I agree. But I have to say I find the study of Kerouac’s so-called failures and inexperience important in the way I admire reading Salinger’s uncollected stories. (I’m waiting for Salinger’s estate to publish a nicely produced version of those as well as the Hapworth 16, 1924 manuscript.) Seeing a major writer’s flaws can give insight into our own process and failures as well as give a strange encouragement.
The plot shows a very young Kerouac developing themes of friendship and perhaps also themes of the individual choosing more direct experience over the academic or over the intellectual experience. I also thought it interesting that much like Sal Paradise chasing Dean Moriarty in On the Road Kerouac gives us the similar William Everhart and Wesley Martin. William is the bookish and frustrated Columbia English Professor and Martin is the more experienced seaman who entices and convinces the lesser traveled Everhart to sign up for sailor duty. Again as in On the Road we see themes of travel and romanticized world experience—also travel without amenity as romanticized by young men. We also see another trend of Kerouac’s which is to show young men choosing friends, travel and experience—also choosing liquor and excess—over marriage and more secure pursuits. Or as Leonard Gardner calls it in the novel Fat City, choosing the fraternity of men.
My critique of the book is that so many of the conversations seem unnecessarily weighted. Folks drinking and talking about philosophy, communism and socialism rather than more organic and less-telegraphed thematic notes. We see much more subtle dialogue and interaction in On the Road. Again, as in Town and the City I feel like he is trying to be Thomas Wolfe or F Scott Fitzgerald—or maybe even Jack London—by giving important themes in a heavy handed way instead of giving us more natural and spontaneous emotion and dialogue. The sea here is a heavy metaphor whereas the metaphor of the road from later work seems much more effective. Kerouac’s ear for capturing voices and dialogue was evident though. The editor’s note at the beginning of the book is quick to remind that Kerouac sailed with the Merchant Marines and quotes pages from his 1942 “Voyage to Greenland” journal reminding us of Kerouac’s keen eye and ear for observing and his deftly drawn character studies.
In his article “In the Watery Part of the World”, Sam Sacks of the Wall Street Journal calls The Sea is My Brother a “bad book” and shows the young Kerouac’s “inexperience” and I guess I agree. But I have to say I find the study of Kerouac’s so-called failures and inexperience important in the way I admire reading Salinger’s uncollected stories. (I’m waiting for Salinger’s estate to publish a nicely produced version of those as well as the Hapworth 16, 1924 manuscript.) Seeing a major writer’s flaws can give insight into our own process and failures as well as give a strange encouragement.
December 11, 2011
That book is a sensitively build, respectful and loving homage to this mans development into the Icon he later became.
It is an early work, so don't be disappointed by his writing. It's not "on the road" yet, but if you look at it as a promise to what was later to come, you will love it! I find him to have been a wise man at any age, lonely in his soul but extremely mature for his age.
I love the way the book is partitioned, so typically penguinesque ;-) The introductions, references to his influences and pictures make the man Kerouac easier comprehensible, the reading easy and fluent and it clearly shows, what a talented draughtsman he was as well..
Part 3 (including the Introduction) "Kerouac an the Prometheans" is sheer an utter brilliant!
It is an early work, so don't be disappointed by his writing. It's not "on the road" yet, but if you look at it as a promise to what was later to come, you will love it! I find him to have been a wise man at any age, lonely in his soul but extremely mature for his age.
I love the way the book is partitioned, so typically penguinesque ;-) The introductions, references to his influences and pictures make the man Kerouac easier comprehensible, the reading easy and fluent and it clearly shows, what a talented draughtsman he was as well..
Part 3 (including the Introduction) "Kerouac an the Prometheans" is sheer an utter brilliant!
January 23, 2016
The Sea is My Brother is amongst the earliest novels ever penned by Jack Kerouac.
It is a very strong novel written by a young man with much promise but this edition is filled, in my humble opinion, with too much 'filler' material. The novel itself only comprises about 40% of the actual book size. About 10% consists of some of Kerouac's journals and short plays that he was writing or working on around the time that he wrote this novel while the other whopping 50% feature some fascinating correspondence between Jack Kerouac and his childhood Lowell buddy Sebastian Sampas who tragically died during WWII and who is remembered and immortalised in such Kerouac classics as Vanity of Duluoz and Doctor Sax.
The novel revolves around two main characters - Wesley and Everheart. Wesley is already the seasoned seaman who is tough, macho, nonchalant and has travelled around the world. Everheart, on the other hand, is a bookish academic who has always dreamed of taking part in adventures but has never actually done so - until now, until he meets Wesley and is inspired by him and agrees to sign up to the Merchant Marine when asked if he wanted to come by Wesley.
What makes this book different from any other book in the Duluoz Legend is that it is by far the most political one. Everheart and another character called Nick (an old friend of Wesley's) get into some heated arguments over socialism, capitalism and proletarianism etc. I suspect that Kerouac was much more left-leaning at this time of his life than later on when his borderline redneck political views came to the dismay of all the young hippies, such as Ed Sanders, who worshipped Kerouac as an artist and writer.
While much of this filler material was fascinating and at times even engrossing, my main gripe with this book is that it is a little too disparate from part to part. By that I mean, the correspondence section is not exactly contiguous with the themes and overall 'feel' of the novel but have been merely placed in this volume, somewhat clumsily, to pad it out with chronological and to some degree literary background in which the reader sees how things happened in the lead up to the point where Jack actually sits down to write The Sea is My Brother. For hardcore seasoned Kerouac fans like myself, it still comes across as a great bonus and even a treat but to the casual reader, they might stop and think WTF?
Ideally, I would have preferred to have had these texts separated into two volumes - 1) The Sea is My Brother; and 2) The Collected Correspondence of Jack Kerouac and Sebastian Sampas. There is sufficient material here to have at least two decent-sized volumes so why cram them all into one? Therefore, I found the title a little bit of a misnomer as the amount of letters and correspondence in the book outweighs the length of the novel itself.
If you are a huge Kerouac fan like myself though, this is still a relatively recent treasure trove of solid and riveting Kerouackian writing and thought. Highly enjoyable.
It is a very strong novel written by a young man with much promise but this edition is filled, in my humble opinion, with too much 'filler' material. The novel itself only comprises about 40% of the actual book size. About 10% consists of some of Kerouac's journals and short plays that he was writing or working on around the time that he wrote this novel while the other whopping 50% feature some fascinating correspondence between Jack Kerouac and his childhood Lowell buddy Sebastian Sampas who tragically died during WWII and who is remembered and immortalised in such Kerouac classics as Vanity of Duluoz and Doctor Sax.
The novel revolves around two main characters - Wesley and Everheart. Wesley is already the seasoned seaman who is tough, macho, nonchalant and has travelled around the world. Everheart, on the other hand, is a bookish academic who has always dreamed of taking part in adventures but has never actually done so - until now, until he meets Wesley and is inspired by him and agrees to sign up to the Merchant Marine when asked if he wanted to come by Wesley.
What makes this book different from any other book in the Duluoz Legend is that it is by far the most political one. Everheart and another character called Nick (an old friend of Wesley's) get into some heated arguments over socialism, capitalism and proletarianism etc. I suspect that Kerouac was much more left-leaning at this time of his life than later on when his borderline redneck political views came to the dismay of all the young hippies, such as Ed Sanders, who worshipped Kerouac as an artist and writer.
While much of this filler material was fascinating and at times even engrossing, my main gripe with this book is that it is a little too disparate from part to part. By that I mean, the correspondence section is not exactly contiguous with the themes and overall 'feel' of the novel but have been merely placed in this volume, somewhat clumsily, to pad it out with chronological and to some degree literary background in which the reader sees how things happened in the lead up to the point where Jack actually sits down to write The Sea is My Brother. For hardcore seasoned Kerouac fans like myself, it still comes across as a great bonus and even a treat but to the casual reader, they might stop and think WTF?
Ideally, I would have preferred to have had these texts separated into two volumes - 1) The Sea is My Brother; and 2) The Collected Correspondence of Jack Kerouac and Sebastian Sampas. There is sufficient material here to have at least two decent-sized volumes so why cram them all into one? Therefore, I found the title a little bit of a misnomer as the amount of letters and correspondence in the book outweighs the length of the novel itself.
If you are a huge Kerouac fan like myself though, this is still a relatively recent treasure trove of solid and riveting Kerouackian writing and thought. Highly enjoyable.
May 6, 2013
Well what can I say regarding this second book by Jack Kerouac that I have read? I adore him. I have a total literary/fantasy crush on him. This book is part novel, the second part is filled with Jack's early writings, this includes letters to friends, segments of ideas for novels and poems. The book also includes many pieces of writing by one of Jack's closest childhood friends and allows the reader to delve into the two writers as they grow and change.
I was at first disappointed when the main novel ended somewhat abruptly and without any tying up of loose ends but once I got into the second portion of the book I started to think I might have preferred to just go on reading the letters forever.
Jack has a beautiful literary voice. Every sentence is alive with his entire being. There is such urgency and desperation for life in his writing. I have never before experienced an author like him. And seeing this reflected not through fiction (although I know even Jack's fiction is mostly taken from his life experiences) but through the private letters and poems he sent to friends is kind of like a bibliophiles secret dream... akin to stealing into your favourite authors home and breaking into their private drawer to read their journal.
I absolutely loved reading his letters and was heartbroken at poignant events throughout the lives of him and his group of friends.
Being allowed to peer into an authors private life like this has certainly awoken something in me and I will definitely search out more books like this. I had no idea this book was anything but a novel and it was most certainly a lovely surprise to discover otherwise.
I was at first disappointed when the main novel ended somewhat abruptly and without any tying up of loose ends but once I got into the second portion of the book I started to think I might have preferred to just go on reading the letters forever.
Jack has a beautiful literary voice. Every sentence is alive with his entire being. There is such urgency and desperation for life in his writing. I have never before experienced an author like him. And seeing this reflected not through fiction (although I know even Jack's fiction is mostly taken from his life experiences) but through the private letters and poems he sent to friends is kind of like a bibliophiles secret dream... akin to stealing into your favourite authors home and breaking into their private drawer to read their journal.
I absolutely loved reading his letters and was heartbroken at poignant events throughout the lives of him and his group of friends.
Being allowed to peer into an authors private life like this has certainly awoken something in me and I will definitely search out more books like this. I had no idea this book was anything but a novel and it was most certainly a lovely surprise to discover otherwise.
January 17, 2013
I did quite enjoy this. It was nice to be able to read Kerouac's first attempt at a novel. Unfortuantely it was flawed in several ways, the biggest being that it wasn't finished. Kerouac was splitting himself into two different protagonists for this, the scholar and the drunk, unfortuantely one of the things that make him most interesting to me is the fact that he is both and seperating himself out just made both characters weaker. That said it was a nice story about friendship and searching for meaning in your life. But I could definitely see why it didn't end up being published.
The "lost novel" takes up only one third of the book. The middle section is a collection of short stories and prose pieces that he wrote at university. The problem with them is that they are all so short, fragments more than anything. The diary was my favourite and definitely had some of Kerouac's later charm.
The third section was by far the longest and I fear the most uninteresting to me. While I love Kerouac's writing I have never bothered to go and read any biographies or any of his letters. The last third was a collection of his letters and his friend's letters from around the time he was writing the novel. Most of the letters printed were actually written by his friend to Kerouac. While it was quite interesting to see what two young college boys thought of life during WWII I must admit I didn't find it that engrossing and ended up skipping most of the ones written by his friend.
Overall I enjoyed it but I would say this is definitely for Kerouac completests only.
The "lost novel" takes up only one third of the book. The middle section is a collection of short stories and prose pieces that he wrote at university. The problem with them is that they are all so short, fragments more than anything. The diary was my favourite and definitely had some of Kerouac's later charm.
The third section was by far the longest and I fear the most uninteresting to me. While I love Kerouac's writing I have never bothered to go and read any biographies or any of his letters. The last third was a collection of his letters and his friend's letters from around the time he was writing the novel. Most of the letters printed were actually written by his friend to Kerouac. While it was quite interesting to see what two young college boys thought of life during WWII I must admit I didn't find it that engrossing and ended up skipping most of the ones written by his friend.
Overall I enjoyed it but I would say this is definitely for Kerouac completests only.
January 11, 2026
Pirmas autoriaus romanas, parašytas 1943 m.ir išspausdintas jau po Jacko mirties. Toks nesušukuotas, greičiausiai, autorius jo nebūtų leidęs tokio. Nors ką aš žinau.
May 5, 2012
I picked this up simply because it was Kerouac's first novel. I knew that he wasn't fond of it but I have enjoyed his previous books and there is some similarity in this one with the others. It is written in the typical Kerouac style, a man searching for his peace and his place in the world. The main character, Wesley Martin, is a wanderer. A man that, on the surface, appears to be a free spirited vagabond without a care in the world and tales of booze, music, and women. However, the story then begins to unload a deeper pain to Wesley as he brings along a new found friend, you see that the wandering has more to do with a longing for a place of peace and belonging.
The ending is somewhat abrupt, but this is a typical Kerouac novel. If you have enjoyed the author's previous works, you will enjoy The Sea is My Brother.
The ending is somewhat abrupt, but this is a typical Kerouac novel. If you have enjoyed the author's previous works, you will enjoy The Sea is My Brother.
October 10, 2019
Το βιβλίο αποτελείται από 3 μέρη: το πρώτο, που είναι και ο τίτλος του βιβλίου, είναι αριστούργημα, συνεπώς 5/5. Το δεύτερο αποτελείται από κάποια πρώιμα γραπτά του Κέρουακ, όπου περιλαμβάνεται και το ημερολόγιο ενός εγωτιστή, που είναι από τα καλύτερα κείμενα που έχω διαβάσει... Το τρίτο μέρος, που είναι και το πιο μακροσκελές, αποτελείται από την αλληλογραφία μεταξύ του Κέρουακ και του φίλου του, Σεμπάστιαν Σάμπας, το οποίο θεωρώ στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του βαρετό και ανούσιο. Το να διαβάζουμε σχεδόν επί 300 σελίδες την ανταλλαγή γραμμάτων ανάμεσα σε δύο φίλους δεν έχω καταλάβει ακόμα σε τι εξυπηρετεί...
Λάτρεψα τις απόψεις του Κέρουακ και δεδομένου ότι ήταν η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του, σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και τα υπόλοιπα.
Λάτρεψα τις απόψεις του Κέρουακ και δεδομένου ότι ήταν η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του, σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και τα υπόλοιπα.
March 29, 2012
This is a must-read for any Jack Kerouac fan. As a sucker for both Kerouac and nautical-themed novels, I had to pick this up. Most interesting is seeing the brilliance of the Kerouac Way starting to emerge. Even as a 21-year-old, you can see his restlessness, constant questioning and fascination with the American life start to bubble up. With lines like, “What was that sonnet where Shakespeare spoke sonorously of time ‘rooting out the work of masonry?’ Is a man to be timeless and patient, or is he to be a pawn of time? What did it avail a man to plant roots deep into a society by all means foolish and Protean?” Pure and original (literally) Kerouac.
August 7, 2016
I was unsure about this book at first but I was hooked after 10 pages.
The story of two strangers random meeting in a bar, Wes and Bill who decide to ship out to sea together with the merchant marine during WWII before the US joined the allies. The story deals with the pairs two very different reasons and circumstances for wanting to shipping out to sea. Wes is an experienced seaman who has sail across the oceans many times before and Bill is a university professor at Columbia who is seeking adventures. The sea being the great equalizer.
The more I reflect on this book, the more I love it. I love the message in this book. I know already that this is a definite re-read for me.
The story of two strangers random meeting in a bar, Wes and Bill who decide to ship out to sea together with the merchant marine during WWII before the US joined the allies. The story deals with the pairs two very different reasons and circumstances for wanting to shipping out to sea. Wes is an experienced seaman who has sail across the oceans many times before and Bill is a university professor at Columbia who is seeking adventures. The sea being the great equalizer.
The more I reflect on this book, the more I love it. I love the message in this book. I know already that this is a definite re-read for me.
July 5, 2024
“He presented a fairly normal appearance, just above average height, thin, with a hollow countenance notable for its prominence of chin and upper lip muscles, and expressive mouth lined delicately yet abundantly from its corners to the thin nose, and a pair of level, sympathetic eyes. But his demeanor was a strange one. He was accustomed to hold his head high, so that whatever he observed received a downward scrutiny, an averted mien that possessed a lofty and inscrutable curiosity.”
–
“While she laughed at the stranger’s unusual query, she could not help but wonder at his instant possessiveness: for a second, he seemed to be an old friend she had forgotten many years ago, and who had now chanced upon her and resumed his intimacy with her as though time were no factor in his mind. But she was certain she had never met him. Thus, she stared at him with some astonishment and waited for his next move.
He did nothing; he merely turned back to his beer and drank a meditative draught. Polly, bewildered by this illogical behavior, sat for a few minutes watching him. He apparently was satisfied with just one thing, asking her where she was going. Who did he think he was? ... it was certainly none of his business. And yet, why had he treated her as though he had always known her, and as though he had always possessed her?”
–
“He had studied hard and proved a brilliant student. But the restlessness which had festered in his loquacious being through the years as assistant professor in English, a vague prod in the course of his somehow sensationless and self-satisfied days, now came to him in a rush of accusal. What was he doing with his life? He had never grown attached to any woman, outside of the gay and promiscuous relations he carried on with several young ladies in the vicinity of his circle. Others at the university, he now considered with a tinge of remorse, had grown properly academic, worn good clothes with the proud fastidiousness of young professors, gotten themselves wives, rented apartments on or near the campus, and set about to lead serious, purposeful lives with an eye to promotions and honorary degrees and a genuine affection for their wives and children.
But he had rushed around for the past six years clad in his cloak of genius, an enthusiastic young pedant with loud theories, shabby clothing, and a barefaced conviction in the art of criticism. He’d never paused to appraise anything but the world. He had never really paid any attention to his own life, except to use his own freedom as a means to discuss the subject of freedom.”
–
“What was he doing here in this room, this room he had known since childhood, this room he had wept in, had ruined his eyesight in, studying till dawn, this room into which his mother had often stole to kiss and console him, what was he doing in this suddenly sad room, his foot on a packed suitcase and a traveler’s hat perched foolishly on the back of his head? Was he leaving it? […] The whole thing failed to focus in his mind; he proved unable to meet the terror which this sudden contrast brought to bear on his soul. Could it be he knew nothing of life’s great mysteries? Then what of the years spent interpreting the literatures of England and America for note-hungry classes? ...had he been talking through his hat, an utterly complacent and ignorant little pittypat who spouted the profound feelings of a Shakespeare, a Keats, a Milton, a Whitman, a Hawthorne, a Melville, a Thoreau, a Robinson as though he knew the terror, fear, agony, and vowing passion of their lives and was brother to them in the dark, deserted old moor of their minds?”
–
“‘Look, man, that’s just the point... we’re out at sea and that’s that. We’re not on the beach no more— there, we can fight, booze, nowhere all we want. But when we’re sailin’, man, there’s no more o’ that beach stuff. We have to live together, and if we all pitch in together, it’s right fine. But if one guy bulls it all up, then it’s no shuck-all of a trip... all fouled up.’”
–
“While she laughed at the stranger’s unusual query, she could not help but wonder at his instant possessiveness: for a second, he seemed to be an old friend she had forgotten many years ago, and who had now chanced upon her and resumed his intimacy with her as though time were no factor in his mind. But she was certain she had never met him. Thus, she stared at him with some astonishment and waited for his next move.
He did nothing; he merely turned back to his beer and drank a meditative draught. Polly, bewildered by this illogical behavior, sat for a few minutes watching him. He apparently was satisfied with just one thing, asking her where she was going. Who did he think he was? ... it was certainly none of his business. And yet, why had he treated her as though he had always known her, and as though he had always possessed her?”
–
“He had studied hard and proved a brilliant student. But the restlessness which had festered in his loquacious being through the years as assistant professor in English, a vague prod in the course of his somehow sensationless and self-satisfied days, now came to him in a rush of accusal. What was he doing with his life? He had never grown attached to any woman, outside of the gay and promiscuous relations he carried on with several young ladies in the vicinity of his circle. Others at the university, he now considered with a tinge of remorse, had grown properly academic, worn good clothes with the proud fastidiousness of young professors, gotten themselves wives, rented apartments on or near the campus, and set about to lead serious, purposeful lives with an eye to promotions and honorary degrees and a genuine affection for their wives and children.
But he had rushed around for the past six years clad in his cloak of genius, an enthusiastic young pedant with loud theories, shabby clothing, and a barefaced conviction in the art of criticism. He’d never paused to appraise anything but the world. He had never really paid any attention to his own life, except to use his own freedom as a means to discuss the subject of freedom.”
–
“What was he doing here in this room, this room he had known since childhood, this room he had wept in, had ruined his eyesight in, studying till dawn, this room into which his mother had often stole to kiss and console him, what was he doing in this suddenly sad room, his foot on a packed suitcase and a traveler’s hat perched foolishly on the back of his head? Was he leaving it? […] The whole thing failed to focus in his mind; he proved unable to meet the terror which this sudden contrast brought to bear on his soul. Could it be he knew nothing of life’s great mysteries? Then what of the years spent interpreting the literatures of England and America for note-hungry classes? ...had he been talking through his hat, an utterly complacent and ignorant little pittypat who spouted the profound feelings of a Shakespeare, a Keats, a Milton, a Whitman, a Hawthorne, a Melville, a Thoreau, a Robinson as though he knew the terror, fear, agony, and vowing passion of their lives and was brother to them in the dark, deserted old moor of their minds?”
–
“‘Look, man, that’s just the point... we’re out at sea and that’s that. We’re not on the beach no more— there, we can fight, booze, nowhere all we want. But when we’re sailin’, man, there’s no more o’ that beach stuff. We have to live together, and if we all pitch in together, it’s right fine. But if one guy bulls it all up, then it’s no shuck-all of a trip... all fouled up.’”
August 1, 2017
estrujadito corazón
September 30, 2012
A young man searches for meaning to his life, trying to find a place for all his philosophies and ideals. Leaving his home for another, he is faced with what it means to act out convictions versus simply discussing them.
The Sea is My Brother is author and poet Jack Kerouac‘s first novel, written in 1942 after his eight day stint as a sailor for the US Merchant Marines. Kerouac considered it to be a complete waste of time, and never sent the manuscript to publishers. In 1992, Kerouac’s brother-in-law discovered the manuscript sketches amongst the author’s papers. The novel remained unpublished until 2011. The novel is short, a mere one-hundred and fifty-eight pages, but when Kerouac’s style is considered, brevity doesn’t necessarily mean a simple read.
The chief struggle of the protagonist is whether or not he is capable of leaving a world of ideas and philosophical musings for one that puts those ideas into practice. William Everhart spent the past six years living the life of a scholar in the English classroom involved in “a serious study of life and strove to understand it rather than accept it with an idiot’s afterthought, if any at all.” Upon a chance encounter, he meets Wesley Martin, a current member of the US Merchant Marines. If Everhart is an elitist intellectual, Martin is his introspective, experience-driven foil. These two people reflect aspects of Kerouac’s own personality, philosopher and realist. Neither character wins out over the other in the end. The novel ends abruptly, with no closure on Everhart’s existential wrestling. The reader is left wondering if Everhart embraced the life of the merchant, or if he went back to being an assistant lecturer, safe in his books and philosophers. His long-winded diatribes isolate him because either the reader wants Everhart to finish talking, or does not particularly care for what he is waxing on about: “‘[A]s a matter of fact, he’s an iconoclastic neo-Machiavellian materialist,’ cooed Bill. Danny glanced askance: ‘Am I supposed to know what that mean?’ Bill flushed.”
While the novel does not directly deal with religious themes, the battle between those who think they know best because of their education versus those who feel they understand the world because of life experience is one that the Church knows. Easily the reader could imagine an eager seminarian, filled with all the conversations and debates of a New Testament seminar, feeling restless to enter into the pulpit and to educate those around him. Inversely, those around him smile at his theories and obviously lack of relating to the common man. Denominations that call and send out the newly ordained into areas that they are not acquainted with experience this problem. One ends up with congregations and parishes containing those that have been workers and farmers for generations with ministers who have belonged to more suburban, maybe even urban, educated families. Occasionally there are those who directly challenge whether or not the idealist believes in the things he says, or even understands what he’s saying. Those who question the delicate balance between formal education and the lessons of life will have places to underline and mull over.
Kerouac wrote the manuscript as a very young man, and it shows through in his writing. This is not to say the story is terrible, however, the writing is subpar. A budding form of personal self-expression is beginning, but if the novel was not written by Kerouac, it would not be published. Compared to On the Road or Big Sur one could understand why he was not pleased with the finished product. His famous spontaneous prose is formed most evidently in the monologues and internal dialogues of Everhart. His thoughts can become tedious to the reader who desires Everhart to make up his mind and grow up out of the world of “all words and no action,” especially in comparison to Martin’s attitude of getting up and doing what needs to be done. For those who love reading Kerouac’s work, The Sea is My Brother is insight into the adolescent mind of a young author, and gives cause to think about what it means to judge others based off of their life choices and expressions of those choices. In the church, in life, one cannot dismiss a person for being less formally educated, nor can naivety be cause for scorn. For those reasons, the novel would be a decent read for those who want to think about and be challenged about the roles of theoretical education and practical application in the church. However, The Sea is My Brother would not be a good introduction to Jack Kerouac and his writing style.
The Sea is My Brother is author and poet Jack Kerouac‘s first novel, written in 1942 after his eight day stint as a sailor for the US Merchant Marines. Kerouac considered it to be a complete waste of time, and never sent the manuscript to publishers. In 1992, Kerouac’s brother-in-law discovered the manuscript sketches amongst the author’s papers. The novel remained unpublished until 2011. The novel is short, a mere one-hundred and fifty-eight pages, but when Kerouac’s style is considered, brevity doesn’t necessarily mean a simple read.
The chief struggle of the protagonist is whether or not he is capable of leaving a world of ideas and philosophical musings for one that puts those ideas into practice. William Everhart spent the past six years living the life of a scholar in the English classroom involved in “a serious study of life and strove to understand it rather than accept it with an idiot’s afterthought, if any at all.” Upon a chance encounter, he meets Wesley Martin, a current member of the US Merchant Marines. If Everhart is an elitist intellectual, Martin is his introspective, experience-driven foil. These two people reflect aspects of Kerouac’s own personality, philosopher and realist. Neither character wins out over the other in the end. The novel ends abruptly, with no closure on Everhart’s existential wrestling. The reader is left wondering if Everhart embraced the life of the merchant, or if he went back to being an assistant lecturer, safe in his books and philosophers. His long-winded diatribes isolate him because either the reader wants Everhart to finish talking, or does not particularly care for what he is waxing on about: “‘[A]s a matter of fact, he’s an iconoclastic neo-Machiavellian materialist,’ cooed Bill. Danny glanced askance: ‘Am I supposed to know what that mean?’ Bill flushed.”
While the novel does not directly deal with religious themes, the battle between those who think they know best because of their education versus those who feel they understand the world because of life experience is one that the Church knows. Easily the reader could imagine an eager seminarian, filled with all the conversations and debates of a New Testament seminar, feeling restless to enter into the pulpit and to educate those around him. Inversely, those around him smile at his theories and obviously lack of relating to the common man. Denominations that call and send out the newly ordained into areas that they are not acquainted with experience this problem. One ends up with congregations and parishes containing those that have been workers and farmers for generations with ministers who have belonged to more suburban, maybe even urban, educated families. Occasionally there are those who directly challenge whether or not the idealist believes in the things he says, or even understands what he’s saying. Those who question the delicate balance between formal education and the lessons of life will have places to underline and mull over.
Kerouac wrote the manuscript as a very young man, and it shows through in his writing. This is not to say the story is terrible, however, the writing is subpar. A budding form of personal self-expression is beginning, but if the novel was not written by Kerouac, it would not be published. Compared to On the Road or Big Sur one could understand why he was not pleased with the finished product. His famous spontaneous prose is formed most evidently in the monologues and internal dialogues of Everhart. His thoughts can become tedious to the reader who desires Everhart to make up his mind and grow up out of the world of “all words and no action,” especially in comparison to Martin’s attitude of getting up and doing what needs to be done. For those who love reading Kerouac’s work, The Sea is My Brother is insight into the adolescent mind of a young author, and gives cause to think about what it means to judge others based off of their life choices and expressions of those choices. In the church, in life, one cannot dismiss a person for being less formally educated, nor can naivety be cause for scorn. For those reasons, the novel would be a decent read for those who want to think about and be challenged about the roles of theoretical education and practical application in the church. However, The Sea is My Brother would not be a good introduction to Jack Kerouac and his writing style.
December 16, 2014
The Sea Is My Brother is Jack Kerouac’s first novel, and serves as a foundation for his signature style and experiential approach to writing. As Kerouac himself wrote, “I want to study more of the earth, not out of books, but from direct experience.” The manuscript went unpublished for seventy years because of the author’s low opinion if it. He noted: "It's a crock [of shit] as literature." The book is a rough autobiographical reflection of Kerouac’s first years in New York City and his brief Merchant Marine experience. Short on conflict and plot, the book is long on discourse and exchange of ideas. The novel focuses on three archetypical characters, all of whom seem to mirror Kerouac himself. The central character is Bill Everhart, assistant professor in English. Bill represents the academic/philosophical/ literary personality. As the novel opens Bill is bored, in a rut, tired of his friends and their inane, pointless intellectualizing. His life takes a dramatic turn when he meets Wesley Martin. Wesley is Dionysian, impulsive, a man of The Moment, unfamiliar with routines and responsibilities. Uncharacteristically acting upon impulse Bill accepts Wesley’s invitation to join him on a voyage with the Merchant Marines. Foreshadowing Kerouac’s On the Road there is a tempestuous hitchhiking odyssey to Boston where Bill gets his passport and union papers. The third archetype, Nick Meade, appears on board the Westminster after Bill and Wesley set sail. Nick represents Kerouac’s changing political views. He is not only philosophical and intellectual; he is also an activist and had spent time with freedom fighters in Spain. Nick challenges the value of Bill’s political views because they haven’t been taken beyond the level of talk. The volume includes an interesting and informative introduction by Dawn Ward. I disagree with Kerouac’s opinion of the book. While certainly not a crock of gold, it is definitely not “a crock of shit.”
June 16, 2012
More about Sebastian Sampas and less about Kerouac really. The novel's fine, but the 'Early Writings' part disappointed me. The pictures of Kerouac's childhood add to the fascination. I don't think it's one of those books were you finish the book in one sitting. You have to read and re-read it.
September 1, 2022
i mean he definitely goes to sea
June 14, 2025
As a huge fan of Kerouac, especially in my 20's and 30's, I was surprised to discover that his earliest book, "The Sea is My Brother," snuck past my radar and was published for the first time in 2011. It is said that Kerouac himself was not a huge fan of the book and so did not actively shop it around and putting my feelings aside about that, I am so glad to have discovered this novel.
It is early, raw Kerouac and yet it feels like deep in his flow, keen social observation, and wild, fancy free Kerouac all rolled into one. The story takes place over a couple of weeks in New York, Boston, and on the ocean. It follows two protagonists, Wesley Martin and Bill Everton. Wes is a wild and free vagabond that foreshadows the beat, On the Road culture and Bill is a leftist, intellectual associate professor at Columbia University.
In a drunken bender, the two of them hit it off and Bill decides to follow Wes to sea. The story in NY leading up to that choice is an incredible snapshot of the city right before America enters into WWII. The journey to Boston is reminiscent of On the Road and the time in that city gives a view into the parts of big harbor towns that are often covered by gentrification and redevelopment these days.
The further I dove into the journey the more I could see the conflicting parts of Kerouac emerging from his characters. His wild and fancy free and debaucherous self that also had a deeply tender and even Zen core despite all of his flaws was whose voice came through Wes. And his intellectual, political and even aloof background that led his to writing and higher education and that he really grappled with though deeply loved was clearly Bill. Even minor characters along the way seemed to be smaller, yet no less important shadows of self.
The opportunity to experience Kerouac in this way felt so fresh and new to me and gave me a window into his inner self before he became larger than life.
If you like the Beats, Kerouac, gritty life tales, or getting to know authors through their characters, I highly recommend you add this to your reading list, along with various other gems from his canon.
It is early, raw Kerouac and yet it feels like deep in his flow, keen social observation, and wild, fancy free Kerouac all rolled into one. The story takes place over a couple of weeks in New York, Boston, and on the ocean. It follows two protagonists, Wesley Martin and Bill Everton. Wes is a wild and free vagabond that foreshadows the beat, On the Road culture and Bill is a leftist, intellectual associate professor at Columbia University.
In a drunken bender, the two of them hit it off and Bill decides to follow Wes to sea. The story in NY leading up to that choice is an incredible snapshot of the city right before America enters into WWII. The journey to Boston is reminiscent of On the Road and the time in that city gives a view into the parts of big harbor towns that are often covered by gentrification and redevelopment these days.
The further I dove into the journey the more I could see the conflicting parts of Kerouac emerging from his characters. His wild and fancy free and debaucherous self that also had a deeply tender and even Zen core despite all of his flaws was whose voice came through Wes. And his intellectual, political and even aloof background that led his to writing and higher education and that he really grappled with though deeply loved was clearly Bill. Even minor characters along the way seemed to be smaller, yet no less important shadows of self.
The opportunity to experience Kerouac in this way felt so fresh and new to me and gave me a window into his inner self before he became larger than life.
If you like the Beats, Kerouac, gritty life tales, or getting to know authors through their characters, I highly recommend you add this to your reading list, along with various other gems from his canon.
January 18, 2021
Jack's first novel is a fictional precursor to many of his later works. Things we see in his later books litter the narrative of this one: disillusionment with American society, a lust for adventure, brotherhood, the merchant marines, binge-drinking an so on. It
It is written in Jack's deeply brooding, introspective voice, and is an essential read for any fans of the Beats.
What really makes this book, however, are the hundreds of pages of poems, letters, journal extracts and early writings by both Jack and his friend Sebastian Sampas included after the narrative text.
The majority of this is written correspondence between 1939-1943, a time of great change and upheaval on a global scale as well as personally for these two boys, Jack and Sebastian.
Dawn Ward's excellent scholarship in this book presents it clearly and chronologically, giving the reader an original and vital portrayal of the the King of the Beats when he was still just a Baron.
This book is brilliantly moving, heartbreaking and so deeply personal. You will feel like you know these boys. For anyone who, like me, is a huge Kerouac fan, then this is likely exactly what you are looking for.
This is the book that made the man we all came to know and love, and so it will go a long way in nurturing your understanding of both man and writer.
Reading this book is a heartfelt experience.
It is written in Jack's deeply brooding, introspective voice, and is an essential read for any fans of the Beats.
What really makes this book, however, are the hundreds of pages of poems, letters, journal extracts and early writings by both Jack and his friend Sebastian Sampas included after the narrative text.
The majority of this is written correspondence between 1939-1943, a time of great change and upheaval on a global scale as well as personally for these two boys, Jack and Sebastian.
Dawn Ward's excellent scholarship in this book presents it clearly and chronologically, giving the reader an original and vital portrayal of the the King of the Beats when he was still just a Baron.
This book is brilliantly moving, heartbreaking and so deeply personal. You will feel like you know these boys. For anyone who, like me, is a huge Kerouac fan, then this is likely exactly what you are looking for.
This is the book that made the man we all came to know and love, and so it will go a long way in nurturing your understanding of both man and writer.
Reading this book is a heartfelt experience.
September 30, 2022
I loved this!!!! didn't know this was a thing, the lost novel only published a decade ago, his first attempt at a novel.
while almost entirely set on land, the focus is on the characters- very honest representations of the sides of kerouac's self, the drunk adrift sailor and the responsible sheltered academic. written when it was, the attitude is fresh and young and pleasant compared to his other works. wish it was finished; should be longer and also gayer. I want to go to sea .....
while almost entirely set on land, the focus is on the characters- very honest representations of the sides of kerouac's self, the drunk adrift sailor and the responsible sheltered academic. written when it was, the attitude is fresh and young and pleasant compared to his other works. wish it was finished; should be longer and also gayer. I want to go to sea .....
June 28, 2023
(4.3/5)
This was an odd little book. I enjoyed it though. It’s hard for me to explain why it wasn’t 5 stars. Parts of it dragged and it did feel at times as if Kerouac was just attempting to shove philosophy down my throat. Maybe that’s also part of why I liked it? Who knows.
Overall it was a good read and an easy introduction to good ol’ Jack.
‘Nuff said.
This was an odd little book. I enjoyed it though. It’s hard for me to explain why it wasn’t 5 stars. Parts of it dragged and it did feel at times as if Kerouac was just attempting to shove philosophy down my throat. Maybe that’s also part of why I liked it? Who knows.
Overall it was a good read and an easy introduction to good ol’ Jack.
‘Nuff said.
October 23, 2019
...but as for you, a doubtlessly devil-may-care roué with a knack for women and a triple capacity for liquor, it seems strange.
July 25, 2021
i was really hoping to love this one but.... its so boring ..
June 23, 2024
i forgot i finished this. shouldve stayed an unpublished novel imo. long winded "philosophical" dialogue that bored me so much it took me too long to finish. i could've loved this. definitely don't hate it though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews