The Dharma Bums

By: Jack Kerouac

Narrated by: Ethan Hawke

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.

Critic reviews

"In [On the Road] Kerouac's heroes were sensation seekers; now they are seekers after truth . . . the novel often attains a beautiful dignity, and builds towards a moving climax."
--The Chicago Tribune

"In his often brilliant descriptions of nature one is aware of exhilarating power and originality . . . the entire cast of characters is presented with that not unrefreshing blend of naivete and sophistication that seems to be this author's forte."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Full of sparkling descritions of landscape and weather, light falling through trees, the smell of snow, the motion of animals . . . Jack Kerouac is a writer who cannot be charged with dullness."
--The Atlantic

Always Timely If You Have the Time

I Enjoy this book every time. Great voice and story momentum. It is a great read or listen.

What a journey!

Pure humanistic spiritual experience in prose. Kerouac is king and who better to read him than Ethan Hawke? This is one book I will revisit again and again for the sheer beauty and eloquence of its boyish adventure in these three men and what their kinship in nature brought to them and us through through the voice of this gifted poet. A treasured gem.

Loved revisiting this book .

The Dharma Bums had a profound impact on me when I was a teenager.
Really enjoyed Ethan Hawke’s reading!

Ethan Hawks voice took me there

I really loved the story. I also felt like Ethan Hawk delivered an excellent performance.

Really well read

It’s 5:00 am I’ve been listening for an hour to the end of the book. I think had I tried to read this I would’ve struggled. But hearing it read so well I thoroughly enjoyed it and wished the story continued. Great glimpse into a different time and mind.