An unpublished story by American author Jack Kerouac – described as a ‘lost chapter’ of his most famous work On The Road – has been discovered in the files of a dead Mafia boss.
Kerouac, who died aged 47 in 1969, was famed for his stream-of-consciousness writing style and was a key figure of the Beat Generation, the 1950s counter-cultural movement.
Exactly how the two-page manuscript, which is signed by the author in his trademark green ink and dated April 15, 1957, came into the hands of American mobster Paul Castellano is a mystery.
But the story, called The Holy, Beat And Crazy Next Thing, has apparently lain undiscovered for more than six decades.
It features the three central characters from On The Road and was discovered last year during disposal of Castellano’s items.
Castellano ran the Gambino crime family in New York from 1976 until he was assassinated in 1985 by mob boss John Gotti.
An excerpt from the manuscript appears to be in the author’s style.
The story begins with the words ‘We hit Denver with the gas gauge kissing empty and the Hudson coughing dust from a thousand desert miles’.
An unpublished story by American author Jack Kerouac (pictured) – described as a ‘lost chapter’ from On The Road – has been discovered among the files of a dead Mafia boss
Exactly how it came into the hands of American mobster Paul Castellano is a mystery
The ‘lost’ story, called The Holy, Beat And Crazy Next Thing, has apparently lain undiscovered for more than six decades. Pictured: Kerouac’s famous work
The document has now been sold for £6,400 by Your Own Museum, a New York company dealing in rare artefacts.
A sales listing on its website stated that the document was created before the publication of On The Road in September 1957, adding: ‘This piece originates from the collection of a noted San Francisco-based poet and friend of the Ferlinghetti circle, who received it directly from the author.
‘It has remained in private hands, meticulously preserved, for over six decades.’
Jerry Braunfield, of Your Own Museum, discovered the manuscript during a Castellano estate sale last November.
He said the work was signed with a fountain pen in green ink, which is ‘a well-documented idiosyncrasy’ of Kerouac’s.
He added: ‘To our delight, after lab work and thorough investigation, it was confirmed that the item was from that time.
‘On top of this, the signature was consistent with all confirmed examples of Kerouac.’