Which novel by Jack Kerouac portrays the fictional Buddhist poet Japhy Ryder?

Jack Kerouac’s novel The Dharma Bums portrays the fictional Buddhist poet Japhy Ryder.

Published in 1958, The Dharma Bums follows Ray Smith, a fictional version of Kerouac, as he encounters Japhy Ryder, a poet and mountaineer partly based on Gary Snyder. The novel explores Zen Buddhism, poetry, hiking, climbing, solitude, and an alternative to materialist American culture.

The book reflects real relationships within the Beat circle, but it is a novel rather than a straightforward memoir. Kerouac transformed people and events into fictional forms, a practice that can make the identities of his characters confusing for readers.

The Dharma Bums is also important because it helped bring Buddhist ideas and mountain culture to a broad American readership. Its setting and themes differ from On the Road, which is more strongly associated with cross-country travel, jazz, and spontaneous movement through American cities.