Visions of Cody

work by Kerouac

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July 16, 2026

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Visions of Cody is a work by Jack Kerouac, written between 1951 and 1952 and published posthumously in 1972. It is considered a more poetic and in-depth exploration of themes similar to those in his famous novel, On the Road.1

The book details a road trip and includes transcripts of conversations with Neal Cassady, who is fictionalized as Cody Pomeray. Kerouac employed a "sketching" technique in this work, combining spontaneous prose with visual elements in his writing, aiming to capture the essence of his experiences with a painterly quality. This experimental style is a hallmark of Kerouac's literary approach, influenced by jazz and a desire for unadulterated expression.1

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Jack Kerouac
Sketching, poetry, and Buddhism
Visions of Cody (written in 1951–52 and published posthumously in 1972), an in-depth, more poetic variation of On the Road describing a buddy trip and including transcripts of his conversation with Cassady (now fictionalized as Cody), was the most successful realization of the sketching technique.
Read More
Visions of Cody (written in 1951–52 and published posthumously in 1972), an in-depth, more poetic variation of On the Road describing a buddy trip and including transcripts of his conversation with Cassady (now fictionalized as Cody), was the most successful realization of the sketching technique.
Read More