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: The Dharma Bums
titlecomplete: The Dharma Bums
characters: Ray Smith, Japhy Ryder
genres: American, Philosophy, Buddhism, Novels, Travel, Literature, Classics, Adventure, Fiction, Spirituality
ratings_count: 92728
places: South Carolina, Oregon, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California
series: Duluoz Legend
publisher: Signet