From Kerouac to the Hippy Trail: Some Notes on the Attraction of On the Road to British Hippies

Brian Ireland, Sharif Gemie

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The hippy trail was one of the last great expressions of alternative tourism. The trail to Lebanon, Morocco, Afghanistan, Nepal, India and other points east, flourished between 1957 (when Jack Kerouac published his influential road narrative On the Road) and 1978 (when the Iranian Revolution closed the land route from Europe to India). This essay explores the importance of On the Road to the British counter-culture and explains why it was such an influence on those who travelled east. We argue that Kerouac proposed a “beat” mode of travelling in which the “outer” journey was a catalyst for an “inner” journey of spiritual growth or enlightenment.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)66-82
    JournalStudies in Travel Writing
    Volume19
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 3 Mar 2015

    Keywords

    • Jack Kerouac
    • John Steinbeck
    • William Saroyan
    • hippy trail

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    • The Hippie Trail: A History

      Gemie, S. & Ireland, B., 10 Nov 2017, Manchester University Press. 264 p.

      Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

    • William Golding’s Lord of the Flies in Historical Context

      Ireland, B., 30 Nov 2017, Critical Insights: Lord of the Flies. United States: Salem Press, (Critical Insights series).

      Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    • The Hippy Trail

      Ireland, B. & Gemie, S., 2015, The Sixties: A worldwide happening.

      Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

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