Jack Kerouac's Personally Owned Italian Neo-Realist Short Story From His Estate

An Italian hardcover copy of Domenico Rea, La signora è una vagabonda (Naples: Alberto Marotta Editore, 1968), once in the personal library of fellow writer Jack Kerouac. The volume is stamped on the front fly leaf with the Jack Kerouac Estate stamp and the raised blind seal from the Executor of the Estate, John Sampas. Scattered stains to the book jacket, else near fine. 60pp. 16mo.

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), the famous American writer who brought us On The Road (1957), enjoys immense popularity in Italy. One of the first English language books to be translated into Italian in the mid-twentieth century was Kerouac's On the Road, second only to Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms (which takes place in Italy). To Italians, Kerouac symbolizes the best characteristics of the American spirit: curiosity, honesty, independence, and persistence. Kerouac's rebelliousness appeals to the national Italian character, not a little of which is based on iconoclasm. Domenico Rea (1921-1994) was an Italian author associated with the Neo-Realism school, an intellectual movement dedicated to exploring the brutal realities of daily life. This short story, La signora è una vagabonda, was inspired by the musical trope "The Lady is a Tramp". Perhaps Rea sent Kerouac his short story for professional advice, as one writer to another? Both Kerouac and Rea were committed to the quest for authenticity…

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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