While living at his sister Caroline's new house in Orlando, FL in 1957, Jack Kerouac was a busy boy, sending this update on a card dated January 1, 1957 to his agent, Sterling Lord (Jack Kerouac Selected Letters 1957-1969, ed. by Ann Charters, 2000, Penguin Books, p. 2):
Dear Sterling --
I understand how you're low--fortunately I'll get fare from G.--the ms. of ROAD is all ready for the printer, please tell Keith and Malcolm to have complete confidence in the libel-clearing thorough job I did on it . . . they will be pleased . . . I imagine they'll want to see it first, I'll show it them on Jan. 8 . . . I am typing up the new novel DESOLATION ANGELS (rich, good) . . . Have you located "cityCity CITY" and TRISTESSA mss.? I have to add them . . . Till I see you, as ever,
Jack
"G." is likely Jack's mother, Gabrielle. ROAD is On The Road, a version Kerouac considered to include the finishing touches before acceptance by the publisher, Viking Press. Malcolm is Malcom Cowley and Keith is Keith Jennison, Jack's editors at Viking. Jack had his typewriter set up on his rolltop desk on Caroline's porch. In addition to the works he mentioned in his card to Lord, Jack also cranked out a retyped version of The Subterraneans while in Orlando (from Charters' notes on p. 1).
You might wonder why Jack put "cityCityCITY" in quotes. I'm guessing because he considered it more a short story than a novel, but it may be simply that is was confusing to capitalize it all like he did his novels given the unique capitalization scheme he used.
Happy New Year to all our readers. I hope you read some Kerouac today in honor of the new year being up on us.
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