Which Beat writer wrote the autobiographical novel Big Sur?

Jack Kerouac wrote the autobiographical novel Big Sur.

Published in 1962, Big Sur fictionalizes Kerouac’s physical and emotional decline after the fame that followed On the Road. The narrator, Jack Duluoz, retreats to a cabin in California’s Big Sur region owned by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The novel includes fictionalized versions of several people in Kerouac’s circle, including Neal Cassady.

The book is notable for its darker tone. Instead of presenting travel and spontaneity as purely liberating, it shows alcoholism, exhaustion, strained friendships, and the psychological cost of public attention. Its famous long poem “The Sea” appears within the narrative.

Big Sur is sometimes mistaken for a straightforward travel guide or a direct memoir. It is a novel, but one closely based on real experiences and written through Kerouac’s recurring Duluoz autobiographical framework.