What is a marathon in literature?

Nothing strikes terror into my heart like the idea of a marathon. As one who is "slightly-less-than-active", I prefer my exercise in quick bursts – done fast and with the least amount of pain.

But the story I came across on Yahoo! today spoke of a different type of marathon, one I could probably stand. The marathon I’m speaking of is the one where Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (aff link) was read today at a university in Boulder, Colorado:

Fans and some close friends of the late author took turns reading his most famous novel aloud at Naropa University in Boulder on Saturday. About 150 people listened to the cover-to-cover reading, which took 12 hours and kicked off the university’s inaugural Kerouac Festival.

That’s almost like Woodstock in literature! Well, maybe not. I still think it’s cool that they celebrate one of the most well-known American writer’s in such a way. A lot of times fans of a particular author or specific book have a "convention" where they attend "workshops" and "seminars" to gain a deeper "understanding" of the writer and his/her work. This marathon reading of On The Road, is a little more creative, in my humble opinion.

Read the entire Yahoo! article here:
Kerouac fans stage marathon reading

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