Flamingo Modern Classics: Vanity Of Duluoz

American football, war and the Beat way of life - a Kerouac classic.

'Vanity Of Duluoz' is "a book about football and war"; for Jack Duluoz, Kerouac's alter ego, growing up in America in the 1930s, these are the forces that shape his life. Possessed of an extraordinary talent for football, Duluoz leaves his sleepy hometown on a sporting scholarship to Columbia University, New York. But just as the brilliant years of his "adventurous education" begin, World War II intervenes.

For many this would have been a catastrophe, but for Duluoz, his wartime experiences prove an inspiration. Joining the US Navy, wandering the world, Duluoz's desire to live life to the full grows ever stronger. On his return to the USA, Duluoz is drawn into the nascent New York Best movement. Now the real wild times begin, with writing, drugs and sex exploding into a sheer celebration of non-stop, riotous living . . .