Long Lost Beat-Era Letter Saga Continues

I have previously discussed the custody battle over a long-lost letter to Beat generation author Jack Kerouac from his driving character, Neal Cassady.  The latest subplot in this ongoing conflict is a Florida law firm’s decision to file a motion to have Kerouac’s estate reopened on behalf of Kerouac’s nephew, so that its property (namely the letter) can be redistributed. 

During this time, Cassady’s heirs have hired a Los Angeles copyright attorney to engage in the battle over “the Joan Anderson Letter,” a Beat artifact that could be worth millions.

Neal Cassady’s 1950 letter to Kerouac, named for a fling whom Cassady described in ardent detail, inspired Kerouac to dump his writing style and adopt the free-form, jazzy technique that became his trademark with “On the Road.”  The dispute over the letter has been festering for decades, and is entrenched in a scuffle over Kerouac’s royalties between his blood relatives and his relatives by marriage.    

“This case is turning out to be a real mess,” said Cathy Cassady, one of Cassady’s three living children.  “Stay tuned.” 

See Sam Whiting, Beat-Era Figure’s Sexy, Literary Letter Fuels Fracas, SF Gate, Dec. 23, 2014.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.