Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Jack Kerouac
SeriesPenguin Modern Classics
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:176
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreBuddhism
Religious and spiritual leaders
ISBN/Barcode 9780141189468
ClassificationsDewey:294.363092
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publication Date 28 August 2008
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

First ever publication of this life of the Buddha, as told by Jack Kerouac Never before published in Kerouac's lifetime, this 1955 biography of the founder of Buddhism is a clear and powerful study of Siddartha Gautama's life and works. Wake Up recounts the story of Prince Siddhartha's royal upbringing and his father's wish to protect him from all human suffering, despite a prediction that he would become a great holy man in later life. Departing from his father's palace, Siddhartha adopts a homeless life, struggles with his meditations, and eventually finds Enlightenment. Written at the end of Kerouac's career, when he became increasingly interested in Buddhist teachings, and collected for the first time in one book, this fresh and accessible biography is both an important addition to Kerouac's work and a valuable introduction to the world of Buddhism itself.

Author Biography

Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1922. Educated by Jesuit brothers in Lowell, he decided to become a writer at age seventeen and developed his own writing style, which he called 'spontaneous prose'. He used this technique to record the life of the American 'traveler' and the experiences of the Beat Generation, most memorably in On the Road and also in The Subterraneans and The Dharma Bums. His other works include Big Sur, Desolation Angels, Lonesome Traveler, Visions of Gerard, Tristessa, and a book of poetry called Mexico City Blues. Jack Kerouac died in 1969.

Reviews

"["Wake Up"] contributes significantly to the fascinating picture of Kerouac's spirituality." -Jonah Raskin, "The Beat Review"