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Tristessa

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EntityQ1760633· pop 6· linked from 66 articles

Tristessa is a 1960 novella by Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac set in Mexico City. It is based on his relationship with a Mexican prostitute (the title character). The woman's real name was Esperanza ("hope" in Spanish); Kerouac changed her name to Tristessa (a spelling he made up from tristeza which means "sadness" in Spanish).

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Author
Jack Kerouac
First published
1960
Editions
13
Subjects
Beat Generation, Fiction, Beats (Persons), American fiction (fictional works by one author), American literature, Prostitutes, Drug abuse

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Wikidata facts

Country
Mexico
Country of origin
United States
Publisher
Avon
Followed by
Visions of Cody
Show 4 more facts
publication date
1960-00-00
language of work or name
English language
title
Tristessa
form of creative work
novella
Sources (2)

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Encyclopedic overview

2 sections
Contents
  • Summary
  • References

Tristessa is a 1960 novella by Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac set in Mexico City. It is based on his relationship with a Mexican prostitute (the title character). The woman's real name was Esperanza ("hope" in Spanish); Kerouac changed her name to Tristessa (a spelling he made up from tristeza which means "sadness" in Spanish).

The novel was translated into Spanish by Mexican writer Jorge García-Robles.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Tristessa” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Available in 6 languages

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