Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Remembering Lenore Kandel

                                         

Poet Lenore Kandel died on this date - October 18 - in 2009. She appeared in Jack Kerouac's Big Sur as Romana Swartz. We provided some details about her previously (click HERE).

Kandel shows up in Jack Kerouac Selected Letters 1957-1969 on p. 303 in a mid-September 1960 letter to poet/friend Lew Welch:

Dear Lew

I didnt want to thank you for driving me to Sur and back in front of Lenore--Couldnt sleep even that night in the skid row room except about 5 and then all went well--Spent 2 good days at Ferl's--and now I'm home and so healthy I can hardly keep my eyes open. (2000, Penguin Books)

The index of my copy of that book indicates that Kandel also shows up on p. 307, but I have read and re-read that page in vain trying to find where. Methinks it's an error. Kandel does appear again on p. 308 in a September 1960 letter to Neal Cassady:

I don't blame you for looking a little stern and mebbe a little frightened the night i barged in there for my full pack with lew welch and lenore and jacky came in etc.--what do you think about your poor old buddy now? is he crazy? is he going to the dog? to hell? is he going to heaven on the arm of someone he helped? he who  helped no one?-- 

RIP, Ms. Kandel.


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