num_pages: 192
description: One of the best and most popular of Kerouac's autobiographical novels, The Dharma Bums is based on experiences the writer had during the mid-1950s while living in California, after he'd become interested in Buddhism's spiritual mode of understanding. One of the book's main characters, Japhy Ryder, is based on the real poet Gary Snyder, who was a close friend and whose interest in Buddhism influenced Kerouac.
language: English
title: Dharma Bums
titlecomplete: Dharma Bums
characters: Japhy Ryder, Ray Smith
genres: Fiction, American, Adventure, Buddhism, Philosophy, Spirituality, Literature, Classics, Novels, Travel
ratings_count: 92750
places: Oregon, South Carolina, San Francisco, California, Los Angeles, California
series: Duluoz Legend
publisher: Amereon Ltd