《在路上》书迷感谢信不断

He was the man who inspired the Beat generation - and nearly half a century after his death Jack Kerouac is still receiving grateful letters from his fans.

杰克•凯鲁亚克曾激励着美国“垮掉的一代”，他逝世近半个世纪后，还是不断有书迷给他写感谢信。

Most letters are sent in the post to his unassuming last home in St Petersburg, Florida - and the mail box in the front yard is full to bursting.

杰克•凯鲁亚克的最后居所位于弗罗里达州圣彼得斯堡，屋子不太起眼。大多数感谢信都是邮寄到那儿的，前院信箱里的信件已经满得快要掉出来了。

But others are delivered by hand, left wedged into the front door or on the doorstep.

还有一些信是粉丝亲自送过来的，它们被塞在前门上或放在门阶上。

They usually thank the author of On The Road for inspiring them to travel and be independent. ‘You remind me to stay true to who you are and to nurture the wanderlust gene in all of us,’ reads one letter, handwritten by ‘Cindy’ on butterfly and flower-adorned stationery. She adds: ‘I hope you’re writing, unrestrained, with a shot and a beer.’

通常，书迷会感谢他创作的《在路上》激励着他们去旅行、激励他们自食其力。其中一封手写信署名为“辛迪”，信纸上印有蝴蝶和花朵图案，信中这样写道：“你提醒我要坚持做自己，要培育我们每个人身上与生俱来的对旅游的热爱。我希望你仍在写作，豪放不羁，把酒言欢。”

Another, signed ‘Friend of Jack’, reads: ‘I prefer to think of myself as a free spirit and a person who follows a path of her own choosing. You have always been my inspiration.’

另一封署名为“杰克的朋友”的信上说：“我更愿意认为自己拥有一颗自由的灵魂，遵从自己内心的选择。你一直给我鼓励。”

Kerouac, the creator of iconic characters such as Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, died at a St Petersburg hospital in 1969, at the age of 47.

凯鲁亚克创造了一些标志性人物，如萨尔•帕利代斯和狄安•莫里亚蒂。他1969年于圣彼得斯堡医院逝世，享年47岁。

His home, where he was living with his mother Gabrielle and his wife Stella, has become a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of fans every year.

每年都有数百名书迷前去瞻仰他与母亲加布里埃尔和妻子斯特拉共同居住的家。

Kerouac rocketed to fame at the age of 35, with the publication of On the Road in 1957.

凯鲁亚克1957年出版了《在路上》后名声大震，那一年他35岁。

But after becoming an icon and the figurehead of a counter-culture, he struggled with that fame and claimed that he only wanted people to read his books.

但是当他成为偶像，成为反文化的代表人物后，他深受名气困扰，声称他只希望人们能读他的书。

Kerouac died just 12 years after On The Road the published. He was suffering from cirrhosis following years of excessive drinking - largely brought on by his love-hate relationship with fame.

《在路上》一书出版12年后，凯鲁亚克就去世了。对于出名，他爱恨交加，这是他常年酗酒的主要原因，最终导致肝硬化。

Vocabulary

the Beat generation: 垮掉的一代

unassuming: 谦逊的，不装腔作势的；不起眼的

wedge: 塞进、插入

wanderlust: 憧憬旅游

iconic: 标志性的

figurehead: 有名无实的首领

cirrhosis: 肝硬化

love-hate relationship: 爱恨交织的关系