Lord was married four times, and had one child, Rebecca. The list of well-known writers he represented is long. He had just turned 102. But Mr. Lord had little involvement in the project, starring Sam Riley. Kerouac declined, but Lorde was so impressed with the book that he ended up pitching Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Big Idea. When the fighting stopped, he helped edit the weekly magazine of the military publication Stars and Stripes; when the Army dropped that publication in 1948, he and a colleague briefly ran it privately, first out of Frankfurt, Germany, and then Paris, where Mr. Lord adopted the dapper dress that became his signature. When a book he had handled came out in Portuguese, an unwitting translator rendered the grateful authors dedication as to the Supreme God.. [1] Five years later, during the coronavirus pandemic, Lord was profiled among other senior New Yorkers in The New York Times. Sterling Lord, literary agent who shepherded On the Road, dies at 102, Kyle Kuzma, Wizards start fast and dont look back in win over Raptors, Nationals relievers see benefit in tinkering with new pitches, Roger Goodell, Muriel Bowser discussed future of RFK site in December call. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. After serving in the Air Force during World War II, Lord became part owner of the German magazine Weekend, which soon went out of business. Lord even recruited a doctor who attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away because he was his literary agent, not his life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside Allen Ginsberg, the sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves brown after losing their fall colors.. The Plain Dealer. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 Fame magnified a drinking problem that killed him by 1969. In a 1983 article in The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Mr. Colbert said that it was to him that Mr. Giroux had sent Kerouac, and that it was he who had first spotted him an imperfect body with neck too long and legs too short in the office doorway. He was well-spoken and athletic, a very capable negotiator, dressed in tweeds, and avoided most vices. Charlotte was born March 12, 1945 in Chilhowie VA the daughter of Marvin Read More, Robert Lee Marsh Born: April 6, 1946 in Sterling, Illinois Died: January 10, 2023 in Sterling, Illinois Robert (Bob) Lee Marsh, 76, of Sterling, Illinois, peacefully passed away on January 10, 2023, at Heritage Woods of Sterling. His upbringing, he later wrote, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. Sterling Lord, premier literary agent, is dead at 102 He also became a tennis star at Grinnell College, and later a good enough player to compete against Don Budge, among others. By 1955, Kerouac was ready to give up but Lord was not. And they prized his equilibrium, which reassured them when things seemed to be flying apart. Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, from North Dallas Forty to Secretariat, were written by his clients. Sterling . Published Sept. 5, 2022 6:11 a.m. PDT. One author represented by his new agency was Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Second, I am interested in new and good ideas. Barbara Ehrenreich, the author, journalist and political activist who penned the groundbreaking book on minimum wage Nickel and Dimed, died Thursday. Sterling Lord, Unique Literary Agent, Dies at 102 Obituary I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. In 1987, Mr. Lord joined the agent Peter Matson to form Sterling Lord Literistic. She married Read More, Jo Anne Mills Born: May 20, 1946 in Hinsdale, IL Died: January 15, 2023 in Sterling, IL Jo Anne Mills, 76, of Dixon, passed away on Sunday, January 15, 2023, surrounded by her family and friends. Sterling Lord, Premier Literary Agent, Is Dead at 102 The list of well-known writers he represented is long. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo. "The Selling of the President 1968," said in an interview for this obituary in 2013, a year before he himself died: "Sterling's career encapsulated the rise and fall of literary . By 1955, Kerouac was ready to give up but Mr. Lord was not. After graduating with a degree in English from Grinnell College in Iowa, Mr. Lord was drafted into the Army and shipped to Europe near the end of World War II. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he declined: Lyndon Johnsons memoir. "He had a good death . In 1976, his book Returning The Serve Intelligently was included in the United States Tennis Instructional Series published by Doubleday. Mr. Lord found the book fresh and distinctive. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. Second, I am interested in new and good ideas. Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following . I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file) NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following . According to the funeral home, the Read More, Beulah L. Sanders Born: May 3, 1934 in Sterling, IL Died: January 29, 2023 in Sterling, IL STERLING- Beulah L. Sanders, age 88, died peacefully and surrounded by family and friends at her Home Sunday, January 29th, 2023. But Lord had little involvement in the project, directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. She was born on February 4, 1936 in Benton, IL the daughter of Claud and Myrtle (Smith) Read More, Barbara G. Mammosser Born: August 6, 1945 in Sterling, IL Died: February 25, 2023 in Sterling, IL Barbara G. Mammosser, age 77, of Rock Falls, died Saturday, February 25, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. Journal Advocate Obituaries - Legacy.com Lord oversaw many of Kerouacs posthumous releases, even as he battled with the authors family for control of the estate. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he turned down: a memoir of Lyndon Johnson. He was well-spoken and athletic, a most able negotiator who dressed in tweed and avoided most vices. Lord died Saturday at a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. He stayed with the company he founded until he was nearly 100 and then decided to launch a new one. First, Im interested in good writing. But he continued to work, and into his 90s remained the highest-earning agent in the office. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out. But Lords On the Road quest would prove bumpier. All told, when they toasted Mr. Lord that afternoon, it was for more than two centuries of representation. These guys bad guys have unbelievable antennae, Mr. Pileggi said. Search by Name. With rare persistence, he endured the initial unwillingness of publishers to take on Kerouacs unorthodox narrative and was later the longtime agent for poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, novelist Ken Kesey and poet and City Lights bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In 2019, though suffering from the macular degeneration that had stopped his tennis game, he set up a new literary agency on his own. He edited his high school newspaper and was a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. He married Marilyn Colson on Read More, Luella Ruth Sheffler Born: June 24, 1926 in Escanaba, MI Died: January 19, 2023 in Sterling, IL Luella Ruth Sheffler, 96 of Sterling, died Thursday, January 19, 2023 at the Citadel of Sterling. Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, Queen Elizabeth II, NBA great Bill Russell and country icon Loretta Lynn are among the notable deaths of 2022. Frankly, I didnt want to deal with the situation at home, he told the Des Moines Register in 2015. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. But Kerouac was a shy and fragile man, Lord wrote. But Lord was virtually absent from the project, which was directed by Walter Sales and starred Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. Lord's other noted clients included Jimmy Breslin, Ken Kesey with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and political figures like John Sirica, Robert McNamara, and Ted Kennedy. Lord oversaw Kerouacs numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate. He was alert to new trends and an early ambassador for a revolutionary cultural movement: the Beats. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca. (He was married four times in all and had one child, Rebecca.). But his success began with an unknown named Jack Kerouac and his hard-to-sell novel On the Road.. "He had a good death and died peacefully of old age," she told The Associated Press. Lord was a fledgling Manhattan literary agent in 1952 when . Those experiences convinced him that literary agents were not serving magazine writers well and that they had failed to spot changes in the postwar literary marketplace. Kerouac declined, but Lord was so impressed by the book that he ended up representing Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Great Notion.. He married Donna Smith on June Read More, Carla Ullrich Born: December 11, 1965 in Elizabethtown, KY Died: February 13, 2023 in Sterling, IL Carla Ullrich, age 57, of Loretto, KY, died Monday, February 13, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. Cynthia was born June 20, 1954 in Louisville, KY, the daughter of Raymond and Dolores (Dezutti) Blackard. Henrietta Lord Obituary (2002) - Cleveland, OH - The Plain Dealer Lord even recruited a doctor who unsuccessfully attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away since he was his literary agent, not his life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside Allen Ginsberg, the sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves brown after losing their fall colors.. Kerouac declined, but Lord was so impressed by the book that he ended up representing Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Great Notion.. First, Im interested in good writing. With rare persistence, he endured the initial unwillingness of publishers to take on Kerouacs unorthodox narrative and was later the longtime agent for poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, novelist Ken Kesey and poet and City Lights bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Sterling Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 1920, the son of Sterling and Ruth Towne Whiting Lord. He also prided himself on his sympathy for writers who lived far more wildly than he did. Mr. Lords partner at the time, Stanley L. Colbert, later claimed that things went down very differently. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 In 1957, the book was released, The New York Times raved and On the Road soon entered the American canon. [3], Lord then moved to New York City and entered the publishing industry. Over the next few years he either worked on or edited several magazines, including True and Cosmopolitan. But Mr. Lord proved powerless to halt Kerouacs decline into alcoholism and drugs, during which Mr. Lord would sometimes spring for his groceries. But it is not a well-made novel, not a marketable one, or even, I think, a good one.. [7][8], Lord's four marriages all ended in divorce. But Lord had little involvement in the project, directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. Mr. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me (ghostwritten by Rowland Barber) and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out (ghostwritten by Al Hirshberg). Loren was born on September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, Iowa, the son Read More, Arvilla M. Siddens Born: November 1, 1926 in Sterling, IL Died: January 21, 2023 in Sterling, IL Arvilla M. Siddens, 96, of Sterling (formerly of Polo) passed away Saturday, January 21, 2023 with family by her side. Fame increased the problem with alcohol they killed him in 1969. But Kerouac was a shy and fragile man, Lord wrote. Menu. The agent sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. One early client was Al Hirshberg, who ghostwrote Fear Strikes Out, Jimmy Piersalls memoir of baseball and mental illness. Im in a business that is absolutely captivating, Mr. Lord told Publishers Weekly in 2013, 61 years after entering it. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 His upbringing, he would later write, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. Mr. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. Sterling Lord Dead: Agent For Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road' Was 102 HENRIETTA L. LORD, died at her home in Columbus on April 9, 2002. . One editor wrote to Lord that Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. When Kerouac died in October 1969, Mr. Lord was at his funeral, both incongruous natty as ever in his blue shirt with the white collar and a dark necktie, as the Beat writer and historian John Clellon Holmes later wrote and at home amid the aging Beats, youthful acolytes and assorted locals gathered at a Roman Catholic church in Lowell, Mass. Frankly, I didnt want to deal with the situation at home, he told the Des Moines Register in 2015. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. He negotiated the terms between McGinnis and the accused killer Geoffrey McDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. Steven was born January 3, 1956 in Dixon, IL, the son of Alvin and Mary (Davis) Moeller. Read More, Duane Scholl Born: December 16, 1950 in Dixon, Illinois Died: January 14, 2023 in Polo, Illinois Duane Scholl, 72, of Polo died Saturday January 14, 2023 at his farm surrounded by family. Born in Crisfield, MD, on February 18, 1933, he was the son of the late Charles and Laura Mae Sterling. About 10 years ago Sterling Lord invited four long-term clients of his for lunch at the Regency Hotel in New York. Even younger editors who may have related to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. Mr. Lord spoke proudly of a project he declined: Lyndon B. Johnsons memoir. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis short story Wiseguy and helped arrange a deal for his famous adaptation of Goodfellas.. Sign the Guest Book . In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord remembered first meeting Kerouac in 1952. An editor from Viking Press contacted Mr. Lord, offering an advance of $900. Sterling Obituaries | Local Obits for Sterling, IL - Legacy.com PA., in 1907, the only daughter of Raymond Sterling Lord and Carrie Little Paul. He gradually yielded day-to-day management of the company Sterling Lord Literistic. NEW YORK -. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for. Sterling Lord, Premier Literary Agent, Is Dead at 102 Sterling Lord, literary agent for Kerouac's 'On the Road,' dies Back in the U.S., he served as an editor at True and Cosmopolitan, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Find the right funeral home to guide your family through end-of-life planning. Sterling Lord was the agent who represented Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks, and, most notably, Jack Kerouac. His clients included Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Howard Fast, Jimmy Breslin, and Doris Kearns Goodwin . Jo enjoyed her employment with Shaw Newspaper for 32 years, working from receptionist Read More, Steven E. Moeller Born: January 3, 1956 in Dixon, IL Died: January 8, 2023 in Sterling, IL Steven E. Moeller, age 67, of Sterling, died Sunday, January 8, 2023 at The Citadel of Sterling. He was Fiorentina captain Astori found dead aged 31 before match. Sterling Lords roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. She was born on January 11, 1942 to Henry and Mabel (Green) Keister in Dixon, IL. Read More, Submit an obit for publication in any local newspaper and on Legacy. Thanks to his friendship with Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstain's multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. Back in the U.S., he served as an editor at True and Cosmopolitan, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Even younger editors who could relate to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out. But Lords On the Road quest would prove bumpier. But he was alert to new trends and an early ambassador for a revolutionary cultural movement: the Beats. He stayed with the company he founded until almost 100 years old, and then decided to open a new one. Mr. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. Representatives for the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. Browse Journal Advocate obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. NEW YORK Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for. Click or call (800) 729-8809. Ports, age 83, of Sterling, died Monday, February 6, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. In 1957, the book was published, The New York Times was delighted, and On the Road soon entered the American canon. He had just turned 102. Preston-Schilling Funeral Home, Ltd. - Dixon, Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home. Thanks to friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Ian Berenstains multimillion-dollar books about a family of anthropomorphic bears. They can walk down the street, and tell that the little old lady with the shopping cart is a cop. His old-fashioned ways extended even to his letterhead, which listed his telephone number as Plaza 1-2533. If you didnt know New York City was 212, he really didnt want to hear from you, said Stuart Krichevsky, a fellow agent who worked with Mr. Lord for 16 years. Beulah was born on May 3rd, 1934 in Sterling Illinois, Read More, Loren W. Ekquist Born: September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, IA Died: January 26, 2023 in Sterling, IL Loren W. Ekquist, 89 of Sterling, died Thursday, January 26, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. Sterling Lord, who for more than 60 years was one of New York's most successful and durable literary agents, died September 3.He was 102. His full roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. Chaney-Reager Funeral Home and Crematory - Sterling . Al was born November 28, 1942 the son of Charles and Anita (Bane) Wildman. But Mr. Lords On the Road quest would prove bumpier. Representatives for the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. He stayed with the company he founded until he was nearly 100 and then decided to launch a new one. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out. But Lord's On the Road quest would prove bumpier. Lord held out $1,000. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102 At his side, he said, on the floor, was a dog-eared manuscript tied together by thick clothesline knotted furiously at the top., Far from encouraging him to pursue the matter, he added, Mr. Lord berated me for wasting my time on transients, bums and has-beens. Mr. Colbert said that it was he who had sold On the Road to Malcolm Cowley at Viking Press and that once he had, he told Mr. Lord to take the business and his attitude and shove it., What is beyond dispute is that Kerouac stuck with Mr. Lord. He was born on November 20, 1939 in Freeport, IL the son of Edwin and Ruth (Lynch) Read More, Alan "Al" Wildman Born: November 28, 1942 Died: January 19, 2023 in Sterling, IL Alan D. "Al" Wildman, 80, of Sterling died January 19, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. Mr. Lord was married and divorced four times. He had one daughter. The legend of Sterling Lord dates back to 1952, when he was just getting started as a literary agent. But this is not a well-made novel, nor a saleable one nor even, I think, a good one.. Lord believed that Kerouac had a fresh, distinctive voice worth hearing. But the industry was not in the mood. Fame magnified a drinking problem that killed him by 1969. Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dead at 102 After an influential career in publishing books for young readers,. GEORGE NICHOLSON Obituary (2015) - New York, NY - New York Times A memoir by Kerouac's agent, Sterling Lord He had a good death and died peacefully of old age, she told The Associated Press. Kerouac declined, but Lord was so impressed by the book that he ended up representing Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Great Notion.. But he was alert to new trends and an early ambassador for a revolutionary cultural movement: the Beats. His full roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. Lord achieved rapid success by selling the film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Graziano Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Pearsella Fear is knocked out. But Lords quest On the Road will prove to be more uneven. Hes OK., Mr. Lords clients appreciated his gentility, which appeared in ever-sharper relief as the book business became increasingly commercial and cutthroat. With a rare tenacity, he endured the initial reluctance of the publishers embrace Kerouacs unconventional narrative and later was a longtime agent for a poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, a novelist Ken Kesey poet and owner of the Lights of the City bookstore. Into his basement-level office on Park Avenue walked a young man wearing "a light weather . Sterling Lord | Obituary | Beyond the Dash According to the funeral home, the following Read More, Carrie Anderson Born: July 28, 1937 in Princeton, West Virginia Died: January 12, 2023 in Sterling, Illinois Carrie Anderson, 85, of Sterling died Thursday January 12, 2023 at her home. Obituary Note: Sterling Lord | Shelf Awareness Sterling Lord, famed literary agent, dies at 102 in Ocala, Florida Representatives of the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. NEW YORK . John was born on September 17, 1946 in Dixon, Read More, Kyle R. Schultz Born: May 14, 1995 in Sterling, IL Died: February 20, 2023 in Sterling, IL Kyle R. Schultz, 27 died Monday February 20, 2023 in Sterling. Rarely, he boasted, did he scour for clients, let alone steal them as others were increasingly wont to do. Funeral services for Mark will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 22, 2023 at the Morrison Chapel of Read More, Gordon Mool Born: January 26, 1940 in El Paso, IL Died: January 17, 2023 in Amboy, IL Gordon Eugene Mool, 82, of Amboy, Illinois, passed away on January 17, 2023, at his home. In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord recalled his first meeting with Kerouac in 1952. Sterling Brimley Obituary 2022 - Lindquist Mortuary Thanks to his friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstains multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. The baby in the group was the political analyst Jeff Greenfield. He would later write that his upbringing was the kind of nice, orderly world that beatniks trampled on in the 50s and 60s.. He was born in Sterling, Illinois, on April 19, 1936, to Read More, Mark Hamstra Born: September 9, 1958 in Morrison Died: January 16, 2023 in Sterling, IL MARK HAMSTRA, 64, of Sterling, IL, died Monday, January 16, 2023 at Allure of Sterling. Frances was born March 20, 1923 in Harmon to John and Lucy (Peters) Read More, Anthony J. Avila Born: November 23, 1987 in Sterling, IL Died: January 15, 2023 in Sterling, IL Anthony J. The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. His last years with the agency were unhappy, however, as he came to feel that some of his colleagues were undermining him. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file). Sterling Lord, literary agent who shepherded 'On the Road,' dies at 102 His vast roster of clients included Jack Kerouac, true-crime writer Joe McGinniss, novelist Ken Kesey and journalist. He was born on May 14, 1995 in Sterling, the son of Kelly G. and Stephanie L. (Hicks) Schultz. Duane was born December 16, 1950 in Dixon the son of Maurice and Marcella (Liechty) Scholl Read More, Patricia Ann Van Coillie Born: June 14, 1944 in Colorado Springs, CO Died: January 13, 2023 in Sterling, IL STERLING - Patricia A. Grief Support. Leave your condolences and send flowers to the family to show you care. Americans, including millions of former G.I.s, were suddenly more mobile, less provincial and less interested in escapist fiction than they were in understanding the world around them. Lord oversaw Kerouac's numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate.