“垮掉的一代”离我们渐行渐远，但对杰克·凯鲁亚克的回忆永不止息。多少人因为《在路上》而走上旅途，多少人因为凯鲁亚克而成为了背包客，即使这位先驱早已离我们远去，无数粉丝仍在给他写信，感谢他启发我们踏上征程，缅怀他给我们留下的不羁回忆。
1953年杰克·凯鲁亚克走在纽约第七大道
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.
他激励了“垮掉的一代”，在死后的近半个世纪，杰克·凯鲁亚克仍能收到粉丝们的感谢信。
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.
大多数的信件都被送到他在佛罗里达州圣彼得斯堡的家中，他生前的住所并不华丽，前院的邮箱被信件撑满。
But others are delivered by hand, left wedged into the front door or on the door step.
有些信件是粉丝亲手送来，夹在前门缝中，亦或是放在门阶上。
杰克家的前门，粉丝信件夹在门缝中
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 wander lust gene in all of us," reads one letter, handwritten by "Cindy" on butterfly and flower-adorned stationery.
粉丝们感谢这位《在路上》的作者，是他鼓励他们去旅行，去独立。“你提醒我做去真实的自己，你培养了我们对旅行的热爱”，一位署名为“Cindy”的人，在蝴蝶和花装饰的信纸上如是写道。
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."
另一位署名为“Jack的朋友”这样说：“我现在更喜欢把我自己当成一个自由的灵魂，一个追随我自己选择的人。你一直是我生命中的启明星。”
一些放在凯鲁亚克佛罗里达州圣彼得斯堡家外的信件
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.
凯鲁亚克于1969年死于圣彼得斯堡当地的一家医院，享年47岁，他在小说中创造了萨尔·帕拉蒂斯和迪恩·莫里亚蒂等一些极具代表性的人物。
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，他的家成为了成千上万粉丝们的朝拜圣地，之前他和他母亲Gabrielle以及妻子Stella住在这里。
Kerouac rocketed to fame at the age of 35, with the publication of On the Road in 1957.
凯鲁亚克于1957年发表了《在路上》，仅35岁就已声名远扬。
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.
但是在成为反文化的标志人物和名义上的领袖之后，他被盛名所羁绊，声称他只想人们阅读他的书。
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.
在小说发表仅仅12年后，凯鲁亚克就去世了。他过度酗酒导致肝硬化，然而他的死更多是他那又爱又恨的盛名所致。
I was a young writer and I wanted to take off.
Somewhere along the line I knew there’d be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me.
我还年轻，我渴望上路。
旅途中我一定能遇到许多漂亮的姑娘，看到许多新鲜事儿；也许这次旅行将给我带来珍贵的财富。
I was surprised, as always, that how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.
我总是惊讶地发现，我不假思索地上路，因为出发的感觉太好了。世界突然充满了可能性。
When the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching thelong, long skies over New Jerseyand sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over tothe West Coast.
每当太阳西沉，我坐在河边破旧的码头上，遥望新泽西上方辽阔的天空，我感到似乎所有未经开垦的土地，所有的道路，所有的人都在不可思议地走向西部海岸。
（编辑：祝兴媛 张晟<实习>）
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