THE DHARMA BUMS

Actor and fiction writer Ethan Hawke narrates this classic novel with anarchic joy. He brings just the right slant, pace, and tone to this portrait of the 1950s Beat Generation. His narration exhibits the unrestrained enthusiasm that emanates from this autobiographical fiction. Protagonist Ray Smith (Kerouac's alter ego) studies Buddhism, befriends characters who are based on the poets Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg, and takes in the San Francisco poetry scene when not riding the rails or hitchhiking around the country. Hawkes immerses himself and the listener in the text, capturing the stream-of-consciousness prose. While some of the party scenes and the male chauvinism may seem dated, the sense of adventure and spiritual seeking never falters. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]