The Dharma Bums

Two ebullient young men are engaged in a passionate search for Dharma, or Truth. They seek the lesson of solitude--when they can find time--between forays into the pagan groves of San Francisco's Bohemia. 5 cassettes.

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. This book is a must-read for any serious Kerouac fan.