JackKerouacwroteanumberofhugelyinfluentialandpopularnovels.HeisrememberedasoneofthekeyfiguresofthelegendaryBeatgeneration.Asmuchasanything,hecametorepresentaphilosophy,awayoflife.
AnnDouglasisProfessorofComparativeLiteratureatColumbiaUniversity.Shehaspublishednumerousessays,articlesandbookreviewsonAmericancultureinpapersandperiodicalssuchasTheNewYorkTimes,TheNationandSlate,andintroductionsforLittleWomen,UncleTom'sCabinandTheSubterraneansamongothers.Prof.Douglasteachestwentieth-centuryAmericanliterature,film,music,andpolitics,withanemphasisontheColdWarera,African-Americanculture,andpost-colonialapproaches.Sheiscurrentlyatworkonabook,NoirNation:ColdWarU.S.Culture1945-1960.