Pols hope effort to honor Beat writer sticks
LOWELL » As one of Lowell’s most iconic and influential natives, the late author Jack Kerouac has had such a profound impact on the city and its residents that he is memorialized at museums, parks and even an annual arts festival.
Now, Massachusetts lawmakers are looking to honor him in another way: with stamps.
U.S Rep. Lori Trahan announced on Friday that she and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey sent a letter to the U.S. Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee requesting the esteemed novelist be commemorated on a postage stamp.
“Anyone growing up in Lowell knows just how much of an institution Jack Kerouac is in America’s literary history,” Trahan said. “We’re very proud of him and that’s why our request is just as much about honoring him as it is about honoring our city.”
Born in Lowell in 1922, Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac became a world renowned writer and an icon of the Beat Generation following the publication of “On the Road” in 1957, a book that has become so prominent that it is listed on Modern Library’s list of 100 best novels.
Kerouac’s works often featured Lowell as the backdrop and were so significant that they influenced some of the most iconic artists of the 1960s, such as the Beatles and Jim Morrison of the Doors.
He was also a standout athlete at Lowell High School, excelling at track and football before graduating in 1939, and served in the United States Merchant Marine during
World War II.
“I put Kerouac in the same category of artists as Charlie Parker or Jackson Pollock; he was a trailblazer,” said award-winning author David Daniel. “What makes his works exciting is just his inventiveness with words, in any given novel he probably invents 100 to 200 new words. And I think that other writers and I are inspired by that.”
In 2004, Daniel became the fourth ever Kerouac Writer-in-Residence at UMass Lowell, an annual program funded in-part by the Kerouac Literary Estate that hosts an author to write, teach and offer a public reading to UML students.
He told The Sun that he’s excited to hear that there is now a renewed push to get Kerouac put on a stamp, as he believes such an honor is long overdue.
“He was an influence on so many people, including a lot of contemporary figures, from Johnny Depp and George Clooney to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan,” Daniel said. “People come from all over the
‘I put Kerouac in the same category of artists as Charlie Parker or Jackson Pollock; he was a trailblazer. What makes his works exciting is just his inventiveness with words, in any given novel he probably invents 100 to 200 new words.’
– Author David Daniel
world to visit Lowell, to see where Jack Kerouac was from. It’s a deserved thing.”
This is not the first time Massachusetts legislators have made this push, as Trahan noted that Markey, Sens. Paul Tsongas and John Kerry and Reps. Marty Meehan and Niki Tsongas have also previously done so as well.
“I don’t think that there’s ever been a person who’s been in my role that hasn’t pushed for this,” she said. “Having a commemorative stamp is a big deal, when I go to the post office to buy stamps I like to look through the catalog of newly issued, so it’s quite an honor.”
However, while none of the previous attempts were successful — which Trahan attributed to the sheer volume of requests the committee receives — she said she thinks the fact that they sent the letter on what would be Kerouac’s 99th birthday will significantly help them this time around. “There are a whole bunch of activists in Lowell who really understand his contribution to our local history and have been pushing for this stamp for a long, long time. And I could think of no better milestone than his upcoming 100th birthday to get this done,” Trahan said. “I think there’ll be a compelling case to make and I’m happy to do it.”