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The Dharma Bums

by Jack Kerouac

The Dharma Bums Cover

ISBN13: 9780140042528
ISBN10: 0140042520
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Another autobiographical novel from Kerouac, The Dharma Bums, encompasses the ideals of freedom set forth by Whitman and Thoreau, with Buddhism thrown in for good measure. Focusing on the friendship between Ray Smith (modelled on Kerouac) and Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder), the Buddhist sub-theme is evoked in Smith and Ryder's wish to introduce the concept of Dharma to others. Acknowledged by Kerouac scholars to be a more mature work than On the Road, The Dharma Bums is called "perhaps the most representative expression of the Beat sensibility in a work of fiction" by Sue L. Kimball in "Critical Survey of Long Fiction."

Review:

"Kerouac can describe a simple supper of pea soup and wild mushrooms, or even a spartan repast prepared from those little plastic bags of dried food carried by seasoned mountaineers, in a way to make your mouth water.... In his often brilliant descriptions of nature one is aware of exhilarating power and originality..." Nancy W. Ross, The New York Times Book Review, 10/5/1958

Review:

"Whatever one may think of the soundness of his philosophy, which at the moment seems to be Zen Buddhism, Jack Kerouac is a writer who cannot be charged with dullness. The Dharma Bums is as disorderly, ungrammatical, and readable as his On the Road, and while it contains less gaudy misbehavior it offers a better alternative to the gray flannel suit than the prisoner's uniform." Phoebe Adams, Atlantic Monthly, October, 1958
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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Andrew Kaplan, February 1, 2008 (view all comments by Andrew Kaplan)
You've heard of On The Road; likely you've even read it. But turn to this book for the wilder side of Kerouac. A classic Beat treatise on nature, loneliness and the human spirit, Dharma Bums offers a sparkling introduction to the world of Zen Buddhism according to the wandering poets of 1950s America.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780140042528
Author:
Kerouac, Jack
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Beat generation
Subject:
Beat generation -- Fiction.
Subject:
General Fiction
Copyright:
c195
Publication Date:
May 1971
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
244
Dimensions:
7.77x5.06x.52 in. .40 lbs.
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