The Dharma Bums cover art

The Dharma Bums

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Dharma Bums

By: Jack Kerouac
Narrated by: Allen Ginsberg
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $16.99

Buy Now for $16.99

About this listen

Jack Kerouac's follow up to On the Road read by his fellow Beat Generation icon Allen Ginsberg.

Ray Smith is a young man seeking a life of simplicity and truth. Another young man, Japhy Rhyder, becomes instrumental in leading Ray to Buddhism as they embark upon a spiritual quest. Their journey takes them from the Bohemian parties of San Francisco to the natural beauty of the High Sierra mountains. Through such books as Doctor Sax and The Subterraneans, Jack Kerouac was an inspiration to the beat culture, hippies, and dharma seekers of the 1950s and 60s.

Kerouac first achieved international success with On the Road, a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1957. This was followed by more semi-fictional accounts including The Dharma Bums. In this novel, Ray Smith and Japhy Rhyder serve as stand-ins for Kerouac and poet Gary Snyder, while the Alvah Goldbook character is fellow Beat Generation compatriot Allen Ginsberg.

On this unique recording of The Dharma Bums, two literary giants join forces again as Ginsberg movingly evokes the exultant style of his beloved friend.

©1991 Jack Kerouac (P)1991 Phoenix Books Action & Adventure Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
All stars
Most relevant  
This isnt my favourite of Jack's work, but fans will know what their in for and it provides plenty of his poetic ramblings. I have found myself drinking more green tea after finishing this.

When I saw this was narrated by Ginsberg I was really excited, but I feel though he obviously gets Jack, and the work better than anyone, the recording quality and reading itself was detrimental. I had to fuck with eq settings to be able to listen to this properly , and often the Ginsberg accent and accents of syllables got a little too much.

Beware of Ginsberg!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautiful privilege to have his kindred soul read to us capturing the essence perfectly

Blessed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Jack Kerouac's running narrataive style of writing can be hard to follow at first, but once you get used to it, it flows easily.
He has a whimsical way of describing things as they happen, and a charming look at life. The description of his few months spent as a lookout on Mt Desolation was a highlight for me.. it really brought the experience to life with all the tedium, occasional deprivation and moments of great joy.

Vintage Kerouac - descriptive and entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The audio may as well have been recorded in a microwave while the narrator screamed the words from outside. Pretty annoyed as I can't register anything in the car.

Can't hear it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.