On the Road

Interesting Facts

• The book was written in just three weeks on a 120-foot-long roll of paper.
• The novel is considered one of the key works of the Beat Generation and reflects the spirit of freedom and rebellion in post-war America.
• The main characters, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, are based on real people—Kerouac himself and his friend Neal Cassady.
• The original version of the book was written without paragraphs and with minimal punctuation, giving it a sense of continuous stream of consciousness.
• The book was published six years after it was written because publishers deemed it too radical and unconventional.
• The novel had a significant impact on 20th-century culture and literature, inspiring many writers, musicians, and artists.