The Dharma Bums
(Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
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4.3 • 190 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Jack Kerouac’s classic novel about friendship, the search for meaning, and the allure of nature
“In [On the Road] Kerouac’s heroes were sensation seekers; now they are seekers after truth . . . the novel often attains a beautiful dignity.”—Chicago Tribune
First published in 1958, a year after On the Road put the Beat Generation on the map, The Dharma Bums stands as one of Jack Kerouac’s most powerful and influential novels. The story focuses on two ebullient young Americans—mountaineer, poet, and Zen Buddhist Japhy Ryder, and Ray Smith, a zestful, innocent writer—whose quest for Truth leads them on a heroic odyssey, from marathon parties and poetry jam sessions in San Francisco’s Bohemia to solitude and mountain climbing in the High Sierras.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums: 50th Anniversary Edition. Viking. 2008. 187p. F~Kerouac followed up the 1957 smash On the Road with this novel. Though not as successful as Road, Bums introduced Buddhism and its ideas to the Beats, many of whom began following its traditions. This edition sports Ann Douglas's intro to the 2006 Penguin Classics paperback. Viking also is releasing a hardback of Jack's Wake Up: A Life of Buddha (see below).--Mike Rogers, LJ/LJX.
Customer Reviews
Better after chapter 6.
Had a hard time getting into this book until they went hiking and then I could hardly put it down. Good writing, I lost interest in the Buddhist jargon though. Cool perspective from the 1950s.
A brilliant read
I may be biased, I read this book as I was already immersing myself in Buddhism and starting a job building trail. But this book was just what I needed.
Amazing book with bugs
This is truly one of my favorite kerouac books, however iBooks does not separate it digitally into chapters which can be very frustrating.