Borrowed Thoughts

DeLillo and Kerouac

"People think about who they are in the stillest hour of the night. I carry this thought, the child's mystery and terror of this thought, I feel this immensity in my soul every second of my life." - Don DeLillo, Cosmopolis

" The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

 The first quote is from DeLillo's thirteenth novel (and now made into motion picture by Cronenberg), Cosmopolis, is about a 28 year old millionaire's quite 'eventful' day across Manhattan, in order to get a haircut. Its quite a bizarre, wordy yet an interesting book, and the movie is equally compelling to watch.

The second quote is from one of the most 'defining' novel of its time i.e. Beat Generation, Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'. Its a must read for all those who are interested in reading about the Beatniks. This one, has also been made into a movie and was coincidentally shot in Montreal, QC.

Somehow, I love the depth and the beauty of both of the quotes, and the way they both complement each other even though both of them talk about entirely different eras yet monumental ones. Cosmopolis is contemporary, set in the 21st century which we can all relate to. Similarly, On the Road also talks about an era which changed the lifestyle in the States, and also around the world forever.