Jack Kerouac was born on March 12, 1922. Writer, poet, father of the Beat Generation, man of the road—Jack Kerouac just wanted to tell stories. But his stream-of-consciousness writing style and problems with authority made this a difficult dream to achieve. So Kerouac took to the road, traveling, writing, making friends, and getting by, until it all resulted in the publication of On the Road, making him a literary figure who would not be forgotten.