New Kerouac Novel about the Sea

The muse of everyone from Ben Gibbard to Craig Finn, Jack Kerouac has a new book coming out. In a deal reported by Publishers Marketplace Harper will publish the reluctant King of the Beat Generation's The Sea Is My Brother: The Lost Novel.

Just as last week's sermon at City Grace discussed the theme of water in the Bible, Kerouac had an interesting relationship with both the sea and religion. He joined the US Merchant Marines in 1942 and the US Navy in 1943. The Sea Is My Brother is based on his time serving in the galley on the Dorchester, according to Too Beautiful, the Blog. Kerouac was discharged on psychiatric grounds during World War II. His travels on the mainland, however, are what he's known for today: in 1951, his cross-country adventure On the Road changed the world forever.

Throughout his semi-autobiographical novels, Kerouac often touched upon the topic of religion. He was raised Catholic and turned to Buddhism before returning to Catholicism, many biographies report.

Kerouac's actual brother, Gérard, died from rheumatic fever when Kerouac was four and Gérard was nine years old.

The Sea Is My Brother will include "correspondence and commentary illuminating his development as a young writer, including correspondence with his friend, the poet Sebastian Sampas," according to Publishers Marketplace. It will be edited by Dawn Ward.

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