This one-volume omnibus, planned by the author before his death and now completed by his biographer, Ann Charters, makes clear the ambition and accomplishment of Jack Kerouac's "Legend of Duluoz" - the story of his life told in the course of his many "true-story novels, " including "On the Road." As Kerouac once wrote, "The whole thing forms one enormous comedy, seen through the eyes of poor Ti Jean (me), otherwise known as Jack Duluoz, the world of raging action and folly and also of gentle sweetness seen through the keyhole of his eye." The only anthology of Kerouac's work ever published, this compilation presents selections from the "Legend of Duluoz" novels, in chronological order, and also includes poetry, letters, and essays on Buddhism, writing, and the Beat Generation. "The Portable Jack Kerouac" is an essential introduction to one of this country's most important modern writers.