《在路上》書迷感謝信不斷

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•凱魯亞克曾激勵(lì)著美國(guó)“垮掉的一代”，他逝世近半個(gè)世紀(jì)后，還是不斷有書迷給他寫感謝信。

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•凱魯亞克的最后居所位于弗羅里達(dá)州圣彼得斯堡，屋子不太起眼。大多數(shù)感謝信都是郵寄到那兒的，前院信箱里的信件已經(jīng)滿得快要掉出來了。

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

還有一些信是粉絲親自送過來的，它們被塞在前門上或放在門階上。

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，書迷會(huì)感謝他創(chuàng)作的《在路上》激勵(lì)著他們?nèi)ヂ眯?、激?lì)他們自食其力。其中一封手寫信署名為“辛迪”，信紙上印有蝴蝶和花朵圖案，信中這樣寫道：“你提醒我要堅(jiān)持做自己，要培育我們每個(gè)人身上與生俱來的對(duì)旅游的熱愛。我希望你仍在寫作，豪放不羈，把酒言歡。”

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.’

另一封署名為“杰克的朋友”的信上說：“我更愿意認(rèn)為自己擁有一顆自由的靈魂，遵從自己內(nèi)心的選擇。你一直給我鼓勵(lì)。”

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.

凱魯亞克創(chuàng)造了一些標(biāo)志性人物，如薩爾•帕利代斯和狄安•莫里亞蒂。他1969年于圣彼得斯堡醫(yī)院逝世，享年47歲。

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.

每年都有數(shù)百名書迷前去瞻仰他與母親加布里埃爾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.

凱魯亞克1957年出版了《在路上》后名聲大震，那一年他35歲。

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.

但是當(dāng)他成為偶像，成為反文化的代表人物后，他深受名氣困擾，聲稱他只希望人們能讀他的書。

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》一書出版12年后，凱魯亞克就去世了。對(duì)于出名，他愛恨交加，這是他常年酗酒的主要原因，最終導(dǎo)致肝硬化。

Vocabulary

the Beat generation: 垮掉的一代

unassuming: 謙遜的，不裝腔作勢(shì)的;不起眼的

wedge: 塞進(jìn)、插入

wanderlust: 憧憬旅游

iconic: 標(biāo)志性的

figurehead: 有名無(wú)實(shí)的首領(lǐng)

cirrhosis: 肝硬化

love-hate relationship: 愛恨交織的關(guān)系