Manuscript of On the Road will be donated to a museum after raising $12 million at auction

Zach Bryan acquired the original manuscript of On the way, by Jack Kerouac; the manuscript of Dharma wanderers, and a collection of personal letters, and plans to donate these literary treasures to a new museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, the author’s hometown.

These objects were part of a huge pop culture collection assembled by billionaire Jim Irsay, who died last May.

Kerouac typed his best-selling novel On the way in 1951 as a continuous scroll manuscript, without paragraph breaks or chapter divisions.

It measures 36.5 meters long by 23 centimeters wide and consists of hundreds of sheets of paper joined with adhesive tape, end to end, forming a single roll.

In 2001, Irsay paid the equivalent of $3.2 million for the scroll. Earlier this week, Bryan bought it for $12,135,000.

The country music star, 29, is a noted Kerouac admirer, who last year purchased the historic former Saint Jean Baptiste Church in Lowell with the goal of transforming it into the Jack Kerouac Center.

Jim Sampas, literary executor of Kerouac’s estate, told The Independent that “His admirers often say that after traveling around the country, Jack inevitably returned to his hometown.

“After breaking another world record, America’s most influential work will also return to Lowell thanks to our friend Zach Bryan. It was there that the high school football star’s literary journey began, before he used his athletic skills to create this legendary manuscript in just two and a half weeks.

“This return will bring people from all over the world to our city, so they can see with their own eyes the manuscript that changed everything. We thank Zach for his understanding.”

Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden Jr added: “On behalf of the City of Lowell we deeply appreciate Mr. Bryan’s commitment to honoring Jack Kerouac’s legacy and his investment in enriching Lowell’s cultural landscape.

“Bringing these historic works back to their hometown and to the Jack Kerouac Center not only preserves and celebrates our cultural heritage, but also strengthens Lowell’s role as a destination for arts, culture and economic growth.”

Kerouac died in 1969 at age 47. On the occasion of the centenary of his birth, in 2022, his collaborator, David Amram, declared to The Independent: “He always said, with that Lowell accent, ‘Davey, I’m a writer. I want people to read my books.’ Today, his books are read around the world and it’s very gratifying to see.”