Kerouac often based his fictional characters on friends and family.[4][5]
"Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work."
— Jack Kerouac [6]
Real-life person | Character name |
---|---|
Jack Kerouac | Ray Smith |
Gary Snyder | Japhy Ryder |
Allen Ginsberg | Alvah Goldbook |
Neal Cassady | Cody Pomeray |
Philip Whalen | Warren Coughlin |
Locke McCorkle | Sean Monahan |
John Montgomery | Henry Morley |
Philip Lamantia | Francis DaPavia |
Michael McClure | Ike O'Shay |
Peter Orlovsky | George |
Kenneth Rexroth | Rheinhold Cacoethes |
Alan Watts | Arthur Whane |
Caroline Kerouac | Nin |
Carolyn Cassady | Evelyn |
Claude Dalenberg | Bud Diefendorf |
Natalie Jackson | Rosie Buchanan |