The Scribbler

Jack Kerouac

Two of the beat generation’s shining lights are having one of their earliest collaborations published. A young William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac were linked to murder which shocked New York; this unpleasant episode led the pair to write a debut which remained unpublished for years.

The book has been Beatnik’s holy grail for many generations. It is seen as the book that started it all; bringing together two of the best beat writers. The book, named And The Hippos Were Boiled In Their Tanks, tells the tale of male friendship, gay obsession and murder, which went on to fascinate and inspire future generations of authors.

The reason it has taken over 60 years to be published fully is down to the man who was found guilty of the murder that shook New York. Lucian Carr was found guilty and after serving his prison sentence he re-invented himself as Lou Carr how got a job at the UPI news service and got married and started a family.

Kerouac always scared Lou Carr with attempts to get the book published. Kerouac wrote a fictional account of events using fictional names and then after his death his biographer Ann Charters brought up the murder in her book on Kerouac. In 1976 an article in New York Magazine included extracts from the book.

William Burroughs decided to help his friend sue the magazine and gain controlling rights over the book, after Burroughs died in 1997 his executor James Grauerholz visited Carr promising that the account won’t be published whilst Carr was alive. Lou car died in 2005 and after 60 long years waiting the book can finally be published.

And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks has been one of the eagerly anticipated releases in a long while. Although the story surrounding the books release may over shadow the book itself there is no doubt this will be met with baited breath by many beat generation fans cross the globe.

Watch Johnny Depp reading Jack Kerouac below:

Words: Seamus Swords

National Novel Writing Month - Turn that ambition into a reality

Throughout the year there are numerous literary workshops, festivals, and awards peppered all over the globe. The month of November though represents possibly the greatest single initiatory commitment for any writer, novice or pro.

Saturday marked the opening day of National Novel Writing Month. The event, organised The Office of Letters and Light based in Oakland, California, is intended to inspire, and almost squeeze results out of participants, who take up the challenge of penning an entire novel (175 pages or 50 000 words) in 30 days.

Though labelled as a ‘national’ event there are in fact different regions wherefrom the sponsored participants keep the official website up-to-date with where there are in their projects.

Nanowrimo.org also delivers regular advice from professional authors (including Philip Pullman) and feature articles on the budding novelists taking part.

When The Scribbler discovered this writing programme we naturally started to question just how successful this kind of strict work schedule could be. However, we were immediately put into our place when we saw the list of past writers who have been published as a direct result of National Novel Writing Month.

To celebrate the writing month of November The Scribbler will graciously jump on the bandwagon.

In an effort to get you, the reader, thinking like an author and writing what might be your first piece of non-fiction, The Scribbler is going to provide you with the first of many writing schools.

Keep coming back and checking out the ‘Fiction / Writing School’ pages for the most contemporary writing to tool you up so only the best, most thrilling, edgy work coming popping off the pencil. Efforts are also being made to get some tips from some top writers in the industry.

Thinking caps on. Next time we want you to come back with at least three ideas for a story, maybe even a novel. The challenge starts here.

To get this party started we have embedded some advice for aspiring authors from the writer of Child 44, Tom Rob Smith. The book, Smith’s first, was published this year and earned immediate recognition by winning the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for best thriller of the year from the Crime Writer’s Association. Click below to find out what he’s got to say for himself:

Discussion:
How many of you would consider taking part in National Novel Writing Month? What kind of advice would you be looking for from The Scribbler? Use the comments box below to reply…

Words: Dean Samways