Fifty years after his death, On the Road author’s spiritual reflections show him in a whole new light

He made his name as the thrill-seeking author of the cult novel On the Road, an anti-establishment icon of the beat generation. But the extent of Jack Kerouac’s deep spirituality is now revealed in his Buddhist writings, which are to be published for the first time.

About 30 semi-autobiographical spiritual and soulful stories, musings and poems – with titles such as The Long Night of Life and A Dream Already Ended – have been unearthed more than half a century after his death. All but two short snippets are previously unpublished.