num_pages: 340
description: This fascinating and in-depth biography of Neal Cassady takes a look at the man who achieved immortality as Dean Moriarty, the central character in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road . A charismatic, funny, articulate, and formidably intelligent man, Cassady was also a compulsive womanizer who lived life on the edge. His naturalistic, conversational writing style inspired Kerouac, who lifted a number of passages verbatim and uncredited from Cassady’s letters for significant episodes in On the Road . Drawing on a wealth of new research and with full cooperation from central figures in his life—including Carolyn Cassady and Ken Kesey—this account captures Cassady’s unique blend of inspired lunacy and deep spirituality.
language: English
title: Neal Cassady: The Fast Life of a Beat Hero
titlecomplete: Neal Cassady: The Fast Life of a Beat Hero
genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 111
publisher: Chicago Review Press