KEROUAC, JACK, 1922-1969.
Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac papers,1940-1994

Restrictions on Access

Special restrictions apply: Use copies have not been made for audiovisual material in this collection. Researchers must contact the Rose Library at least two weeks in advance for access to these items. Collection restrictions, copyright limitations, or technical complications may hinder the Rose Library's ability to provide access to audiovisual material.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Related Materials in This Repository

Jack Kerouac collection, 1950-1978

Separated Material

Some printed items from this collection have been cataloged individually. These materials may be located in the Emory University online catalog by searching for Kerouac, Jack and Stella Sampas, former owner.

Source

purchase, 2013.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by Laura Starratt, Will Love, and Michael Camp, September 2014.

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Biographical Note

Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac, American Beat poet, essayist, and novelist, was born in 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts to French Canadian parents, Léo-Alcide Kéroack (1889-1946) and Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque (1895-1973). He had a brother, Gerard F. (1917-1926) and a sister, Caroline (Kerouac) Blake (1919-1964). He earned a football scholarship to Columbia University but left in 1941 after a career ending injury. He lived on Manhattan's Upper West Side with his first wife, Edie Parker who introduced him to Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, and William Burroughs. He joined the United States Merchant Marine in 1942 and the United States Navy in 1943, though he was quickly given an honorable discharge for psychological reasons.

Kerouac is credited with coining the term "Beat Generation" and is considered one of the pioneers of the movement. He earned his reputation after the publication of On the Road in 1957 and was hailed as a major American writer. The success of On the Road brought unwanted attention to the author, and future works never achieved the same acclaim. In March 1958, Kerouac moved to Northport, New York, to care for his mother, Gabrielle, and in 1966 married Stavroula "Stella" Sampatacacus, the sister of his childhood friend, Sebastian Sampas. Much of the Sampatacacus family shortened their last name to Sampas. Kerouac died in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 21, 1969 from an internal hemorrhage. When Gabrielle died five years later, Stella inherited the rights to Kerouac's literary estate and handled legal and financial matters relating to his work for the rest of her life. Stella Sampas Kerouac died on February 10, 1990.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the papers of Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac from 1940-1994 including art and artifacts; audiovisual material; clippings from newspapers and periodicals; correspondence; financial and legal records; memorials; printed material, and writings by both Jack Kerouac and others. Artwork includes sketches by Kerouac as well as a portrait of Kerouac by William Brown and works by others including Swiss painter Hugo Weber. Artifacts include an Army rucksack purchased by Kerouac, a suitcase, a typewriter, a wooden storage box, and a paint box with paints possibly used by Kerouac. There is also audiovisual material that includes commercial jazz recordings, recordings of Kerouac playing piano and reading his works, recordings of other writers reading their works, and conversations Kerouac recorded between himself and other writers such as Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso. Kerouac titled the open reel tapes with drawings, so numbers were assigned to connect the handwritten notes separated from sound recordings.

The collection also contains clippings of reviews collected by Kerouac, including some with annotations, as well as articles about Kerouac and his legacy most likely collected by his widow Stella. Other printed material includes book and exhibit catalogs as well as periodicals containing articles by or about Jack Kerouac. There are also flyers and promotional materials, primarily from 1980-1994, for groups such as the Corporation for the Celebration of Jack Kerouac in Lowell; the International Jack Kerouac Gathering celebration, and the planning of the Jack Kerouac Memorial in Lowell, Massachusetts. Writings by Jack Kerouac contain a small number of untitled works by Kerouac as well as drafts of The Pioneer Club (circa 1940), handwritten copies of his haikus, and typescripts of select choruses from Mexico City Blues. Writings by others include reviews of Kerouac's work as well as articles about his legacy and manuscripts fans sent to the Kerouacs.

Correspondence contains letters to Kerouac from both fans and colleagues, including Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The majority of correspondence dates from after Kerouac's death and includes letters of condolence to Stella on Kerouac's passing and general correspondence to Stella from her family, including letters among family members during World War II detailing daily life in the military. There are also memorials and funeral materials such as guest books and iconography from the funerals of Jack Kerouac; Stella Sampas Kerouac; Gabrielle Kerouac; and Stella's mother, Maria Sampatakakis, as well a few photographs.

The financial records are mainly comprised of statements of royalty earnings from 1961-1992, bank statements, and checks and check stubs as well as Jack Kerouac's tax records, which contain federal, state, and local returns. There are also notes from Kerouac to his tax preparer, Stella's handwritten notes on her finances, and her records on Gabrielle Kerouac's estate. The legal records contain materials both from the Estate of Jack Kerouac and from the Kerouac family. The Estate of Jack Kerouac’s records include contracts and requests to publish sent to Stella by literary agent Sterling Lord. The family's legal records include marriage contracts, Kerouac's divorce papers, real estate contracts, and material relating to Kerouac's daughter, Jan, and her claims to the estate. There is also a deposition of Clifford Larkin, a witness to the signing of Gabrielle's will.

Arrangement Note

Arranged by record type.