Which Beat poet wrote the 1956 novel The Dharma Bums?

Jack Kerouac wrote the 1956 novel The Dharma Bums.

The novel follows Ray Smith, a fictionalized Kerouac, and Japhy Ryder, a fictionalized Gary Snyder. Its scenes of mountaineering, poetry, Zen ideas, friendship, and wandering helped introduce many readers to the Beat Generation’s interest in Buddhism and alternative ways of living.

The book is rooted in real relationships and experiences, but it remains a novel rather than a literal memoir. Snyder’s influence was especially important: his knowledge of East Asian poetry, Buddhist practice, and wilderness shaped the character of Japhy Ryder and the book’s spiritual vocabulary.

The Dharma Bums appeared before On the Road made Kerouac internationally famous. It is sometimes grouped with Kerouac’s road novels, yet its main settings are mountains, forests, cabins, and San Francisco literary circles rather than a continuous cross-country journey.