KEROUAC, JACK, 1922-1969.
John Sampas collection of Jack Kerouac material, circa 1900-2005

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 Other Repositories

Jack Kerouac papers, New York Public Library

Related Materials in This Repository

Jack Kerouac collection and Jack and Stella Sampas Kerouac papers

Source

Purchase, 2015

Citation

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

Processing

Processed by Carrie Hintz, Sarah Quigley, and Laura Starratt, October 1, 2015.

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 correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs created by or relating to Jack Kerouac, and collected by his brother in law John Sampas. Correspondence files include original correspondence, as well as occasional writings or drawings by or relating to correspondents such as William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Ann Charters, Robert Creeley, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen, as well as various members of the Kerouac and Sampas families. Correspondence to Ann Charters primarily documents the writing and preparation of her writings about Kerouac. The collection is particularly rich in photographs, including a number from Kerouac's early years, family pictures, and photographs of friends and family members in Kerouac's circle. Also notable is a partial manuscript for San Francisco Blues and an unproduced play entitled The Beat Generation.

Arrangement Note

Arranged by record type.