Desolation Angels is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac, which makes up part of his Duluoz Legend.

[3] He also discusses his relationship with his mother and his friends (and prominent Beat figures) such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Lucienn Carr and William S. Burroughs.

According to the book's foreword, the opening section of the novel is taken almost directly from the journal he kept when he was a fire lookout on Desolation Peak in the North Cascade mountains of Washington state.

While the stay was initially spiritually fulfilling, Kerouac describes the negative effects of his two-month solitude in lines such as “Many's the time I thought I'd die of boredom or jump off the mountain,”.

[20] He spends his time playing card games of his own creation, scribbling in notebooks, unsuccessfully attempting to quit smoking and listening to the chatter of other lookouts over the radio.

He muses on his spirituality and his past, mentioning that he could have married "Maggie Cassidy", a character with a prominent role in the novel of the same name, who is based on Kerouac's high-school girlfriend Mary Carney.

[23] As the fire season draws to a close, and fewer lookouts are needed, Kerouac leaves Desolation Peak after 63 days, with his mind "in rags".

[27] He is gifted a crucifix necklace by Rapheal Urso (Gregory Corso), and wonders "'What would Christians and Catholics say about me wearing the cross to ball and to drink like this?

'"[28] Kerouac would later publicly somewhat readopt the Catholic faith of his upbringing, stating "All I write about it Jesus" in 1968, but throughout his life he had a complicated relationship with Christianity.

[32] Kerouac jumps forward in time for a moment in Book Two, Part One, Chapter 8 to explain his frustrations with fame and press attention.

Kerouac is gifted a large coat by his friend "Deni Bleu" (Henri Cru), which he wears with Ginsberg and Orlovsky to meet Salvador Dali.

After entering a brief state of suicidal depression and considering the nature of God, it is revealed that Kerouac's bag has been shipped to his destination ahead of him, much to his relief.

He views her literary models as "wrong", but still believes she could be "the first great woman writer of the world", despite the number of notable female authors already published by the 1950s.

Glassman's best friend, "Barbara Lipp", real name Elise Cowen, is described as being still in love with Ginsberg, following their relationship in 1953.

They bump into Cowen, and although their discussion is not described in much detail, they appear to make amicable humorous conversation for an extended period of time.

Kerouac buys a ticket to Tangiers on a Yugoslavian ship, visits Carr again, and shares a beer with Glassman, who is hurt by his departure and concerned about his alcohol abuse, before beginning his trip.

[41][46] Part Three begin depicts Jack Kerouac's time in Morocco, the impact that typing up Naked Lunch had on his psyche and his travels through France and London.

"But by the next day I realized everybody was a little prick: - me, Irwin [Allen], himself [Burroughs], the Arabs, the women, the merchants, the President of the USA and Ali Baba himself...

[49][50] Interestingly, Allen Ginsberg's contributions to the typing of Naked Lunch are not mentioned, despite the fact that he fulfilled a similar role to Kerouac.

Ginsberg and his partner Peter Orlovsky arrive in Tangiers, causing Kerouac to become withdrawn due to his apathy towards his friends and disenchantment with his life in general.

In Chapter 58, Kerouac flashes-forward and describes his disenchantment with the yet-unnamed Beat Generation, which would come to a head in the years following the publication of On the Road.

[55] After some difficulty getting into England, Kerouac arrives in London in the evening and visits a bar called "Shakespeare", which he strongly dislikes due to its somewhat aristocratic décor.

Kerouac felt that his European trip had come at a time at his life when he responded to new experiences with apprehension or disgust, and that mindset may have been a factor in why his journey was so short.

[57] Part Four begins with Jack Kerouac's journey across the Atlantic back to the USA, and depicts his excitement at returning to his home country.

Once he arrives in new York, he travels south to collect his mother Gabrielles Ange Kerouac, stopping to reunite for two days with Joyce Johnson.

"[59][42] Kerouac and Gabrielles travel through Florida, Texas, Louisiana and even visit Mexico, sharing drinks and sleeping on buses.

Kerouac documents her first time visiting Mexico, particularly impactfully describing how moved she was by a lone young Mexican woman dressed in black, bringing her infant child to the altar of a Catholic church.

"[60][61] Kerouac describes Cassady's 1958 arrest for offering to share a small amount of marijuana to undercover agents, for which he served 2 years.

Desolation Angels concludes with Kerouac briefly describing being back in New York at an unknown time, with Ginsberg, Orlovsky, and Corso, now that they are famous writers after the publication of works such as On the Road and Howl.