Collected Letters, 1944-1967

January 1, 2005
Though he inspired the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, Beat icon Cassady never published a single book in his lifetime. A restless and uneven writer, he lacked the discipline of his more determined friends, noting himself in a 1948 letter to Kerouac,"My prose has no individual style as such...perhaps, words are not the way for me." But stylistically sound or not, Cassady's writing inspired a whole generation of authors, and, as evidenced by the copious letters he penned, his life was marked by artistic conflict and wanderlust. Compiling all of the thrice-married writer's correspondence into one volume for the first time, British editor Moore adeptly documents Cassady's rise from teenaged inmate at the Colorado State Reformatory to chauffeur for Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters. Unfortunately, few of these letters record Cassady's most famous adventures, such as the cross-country trip with Kerouac that inspired On the Road. The vast majority of the epistles concern Cassady's failed love affairs and his inability to both keep a job and financially support his wives. Moore gives much needed historical commentary in places, although his decision to sporadically insert letters to Cassady from his ex-wives breaks up the flow of his subject's central narrative. Although there are a few literary gems within Cassady's body of work, such as his free-flowing"Joan Anderson" letter, for the most part, his letters prove that his most enduring legacy is his tremendous influence on his Beat friends.

March 15, 2004
Neal Cassady (l926-68), whose life ended prematurely alongside a railroad track in Mexico after a night of drinking and barbiturate use, is considered by many to be the creative impetus behind the Beat Generation movement. Edited by Moore (the author of numerous articles on the Beat writers), this collection of some 200 letters, mostly written by Cassady to Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and two of his three wives, chronicles the short but chaotic life of a man who reveled in goodwill, sentiment, sexual behavior, and philosophy. The letters, of which two thirds have never before been published, reveal such exploits as, for example, his affair with Ginsberg; his friendship with Kerouac, who was influenced and inspired by Cassady's conversational style while writing On the Road; and his friendship with Ken Kesey, whom he joined on his journey across America in his famous psychedelic bus and whom he introduced to Kerouac. The letters also reveal that he worked as a brakeman in California while living with his second wife, Carolyn (who contributed the introduction), that he fathered several children with several women, and that he had a passion for writing letters. More than a few of the letters are inspired and fueled by hope; others are merely hedonistic, despairing, and repetitive but still well worth the reading. Recommended for public and academic libraries with strong literature collections.-Robert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., IN

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2004
Neal Cassady--that happening, hard-living, hard-loving hero of the Beat culture is fully here--in his own words. Cassady was part raw sexuality, part inspiration for Kerouac and Ginsberg, part arrogant con man, and part insecure, indecisive drifter. The only thing we can be sure of is that Cassady possessed some major charisma. Women bore his children and his absences and not only coped with but even approved of his interchangeable partner approach. Men fell in love with him, too, whether sexually or in pure awe. Cassady's letters show this and more, revealing a sometimes manic yet incredibly insightful and electric mind and a man so charged with emotion for life and open to his urges that he seemed unable to settle anywhere (including within his various selves) for very long. Well edited and annotated, this volume is an essential addition to Beat literature that strengthens the notion of Cassady as a major Beat figure and, more important, presents Cassady as a man, not an icon. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)