(1922–69)
a US writer of novels, the son of French-Canadian parents, who has been called ‘the spokesman for the beat generation ’ of the 1950s. His best-known novel is On the Road (1957), about a journey across America by a young person who is opposed to traditional American values. His other novels include The Town and the City (1950), The Subterraneans (1958) and Big Sur (1962). He also wrote poetry.