Jack Kerouac was born into a French-Canadian family and spoke French
before he learned English. His father was a printer and a local
businessman. His first story was inspired by the radio show "The
Shadow". As a young writer he styled himself after
Thomas Wolfe, and attended Columbia
University. Although his most famous novel is "On the Road", some of
his other better known novels are "The Town and the City" and "The
Dharma Bums", about a group of writers and Zen. Kerouac, who was
married thrice, was a very heavy drinker, which was a major factor
in his deteriorating health. He died in 1969, during emergency surgery.
