Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha

What does it mean to awaken—to leave behind everything you know in search of ultimate truth? Jack Kerouac's Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha is one of the most unique retellings of the Buddha's life ever written, a book that brings the story of Prince Siddhartha Gotama to life in Kerouac's signature streaming, spontaneous prose. Written in 1955 during Kerouac's deepest immersion in Buddhist study, this work distills the Buddha's journey from canonical scriptures into a majestic, absorbing narrative that reads "like a symphony," as Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman writes in his introduction. This is not a conventional biography but a devotional retelling by a writer who identified profoundly with the Buddha's quest—a lifelong Catholic transformed by his encounter with the dharma. Kerouac captures the drama of Siddhartha's renunciation, his years of ascetic practice, his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and his decades of teaching with reverence, intimacy, and poetic power.

Kerouac is not writing as a scholar but as a fellow seeker, someone who understood the Buddha's search from the inside. The narrative asks: What drives someone to abandon wealth, family, and security for the unknown? How do we face suffering, old age, and death? What does enlightenment mean, and how do we awaken to our true nature? Kerouac shows us the Buddha's path with clarity and compassion, making ancient teachings accessible while preserving their transformative power.

For readers seeking contemplative wisdom, Wake Up serves as both a penetrating account of the Buddha's life and a concise primer on the principal teachings of Buddhism. This Penguin edition includes Robert Thurman's insightful introduction addressing Kerouac's engagement with Buddhism in his work and life. This is a book for anyone drawn to the Buddha's story, who seeks an accessible introduction to Buddhist teachings, who loves the intersection of Beat literature and Eastern spirituality. It's a reminder that the dharma can speak in any voice, and that awakening is a call that echoes across cultures and centuries.

What You'll Discover

• Jack Kerouac's unique retelling of the Buddha's life in streaming prose
• Written in 1955 during Kerouac's deep Buddhist study period
• Distilled from canonical scriptures with reverence and poetic power
• Both biography of Prince Siddhartha and primer on Buddhist teachings
• Introduction by Buddhist scholar Robert A. F. Thurman

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) was a pioneering American novelist and poet, best known for On the Road and as a central figure of the Beat Generation. In the mid-1950s, the lifelong Catholic became fascinated with Buddhism, profoundly shaping works like The Dharma Bums and Mexico City Blues. Wake Up, written in 1955, reveals the depth of Kerouac's identification with the Buddha and remains a unique contribution to American Buddhist literature.

Perfect for: Readers seeking the Buddha's life story and Buddhist teachings, students of Jack Kerouac and Beat spirituality, those drawn to accessible introductions to Buddhism, anyone interested in American Buddhism and dharma practice, admirers of devotional and contemplative literature, seekers exploring enlightenment and awakening, students of comparative religion and Eastern philosophy, those interested in the intersection of Beat literature and meditation, readers who love spiritual biography and hagiography, anyone seeking to understand Kerouac's Buddhist journey and the dharma in American voice.

Penguin Classics paperback edition with introduction by Robert Thurman. Kerouac's majestic retelling of the Buddha's life—offering the story of Prince Siddhartha's awakening and the essential teachings of Buddhism in streaming, devotional prose.