Kerouac Book Club This Thursday

Let's talk about "The Dharma Bums"

I hope summer has been going well for all you Dharma Bums out there. Today is the first day of August, which means I’ll be announcing a new book club pick very soon. But in the meantime, I just wanted to send a quick reminder that it’s time for our monthly book club meeting this Thursday August 3rd.

I look forward to discussing The Dharma Bums and comparing it to other Kerouac novels, as well as your view of the text may have changed since you first read it.

Revisiting Kerouac has been a really rewarding experience for me. It’s helped me connect with the part of me that was initially inspired by the Beat Generation while also inspiring me to dig deeper into the seminal texts from this era.

I also dug up some old videos from my trip to see Kerouac’s home in Orlando, Florida, where he actually wrote The Dharma Bums while waiting for On the Road to be published. The book was an instant hit that rocketed him to fame and changed his life forever, as fans were suddenly breaking into the home searching for their idol.

See the videos of my visit below:

Marko Ayling

Marko Ayling on Instagram: “This 4th of July I celebrate freedom through the July #MarkoBookClub pick: “The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac.
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A few years ago I got to visit the house where Kerouac wrote “The Dharma Bums,” @kerouacproject - a 1920s cottage in College Park, Orlando where his mother was living at the time.
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He shared the home with her from July 1957 to Spring 1958 while he typed up “The Dharma Bums,” the sequel to his smash hit, “On The Road,” which was published while he was living here, rocketing him to fame.
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The house fell off the radar of most of Kerouac’s biographers until it was rediscovered, repurchased by the Kerouac Project, and renovated with the help of a $100,000 donation.
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Since 2000 it has functioned as a museum and writer’s residence, where authors are invited to stay for 3 months to concentrate on their work. Over 65 writers have stayed here to date.
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Click the link in my bio to read why I think “The Dharma Bums” is Kerouac’s best book and how you can join my book club on @substackinc for 50% off this week only!
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🎥: @vagabrothers”

July 4, 2023

I breezed through The Dharma Bums pretty quickly so I moved on to Big Sur, Kerouac’s final book, which chronicles his descent into alcoholism and mental dissolution in the wake of his fame. It was a powerful counterpoint to the optimism of The Dharma Bums.

I then bough copies of Tristessa and Mexico City Blues, both written in Mexico City by Kerouac while staying with William Burroughs in Roma Norte. To round it out, I bought a copy of Burroughs’ Junkie and Queer, which were also written in the early 50s about 3 blocks from my current home.

If you want to join our discussion this Thursday, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to support my work! I look forward to seeing you on the call this week.

Best,

Marko

Marko Ayling

Marko Ayling on Instagram: “Throwback to when I visited the @kerouacproject in Orlando Florida, the home where Jack Kerouac wrote “The Dharma Bums,” this month’s pick for the #MarkoBookClub.
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Kerouac was hugely influential in my decision to choose an alternate path after finishing school, and it’s been a pleasure to revisit this book that impacted me so much in those formative years.
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“The Dharma Bums” is a pretty fast read and I finished it in just a week. I’ve moved on to “Big Sur,” his final book which serves as a poignant counterpoint to the spiritual optimism of his Dharma Bums days.
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What’s your favorite Kerouac book? Click the link in my bio to join our #bookclub discussion on Zoom.
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#booktok #bookstagram #booklover #readmorebooks”

July 18, 2023

Zoom Book Club Discussion Info

What: The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

When: Thursday August 3rd, 4PM LAX // 5PM CDMX // 7PM NYC