Charles Bukowski

[Jazzmoose]

Any help out there? I know some of y'all read his stuff. (Hopefully Clem won't beat me up too bad...)

[Alexander]

I thought that "Post Office" was a riot when I read it. I've never worked for the Postal Service, but that book spoke to every crappy service job I've ever had!

I don't know how easy they are to find, or if they've ever been collected, but I recall that Robert Crumb illustrated some Bukowski stories. Great stuff!

[connoisseur series500]

I've read a few of his books and they were remarkably similar. I don't remember the titles, but I second the recommendation for "Post Office."

[T.D.]

I liked a couple of short story collections published by City Lights: Tales of Ordinary Madness and The Most Beautiful Woman in Town and other Stories. Read a couple of full-length novels that I liked less. I sort of lack the poetry gene, so can't help in that direction.

Disclaimer: I donated all my Bukowski to the library a couple of years back, so I can't say I consider anything indispensable...

[T.D.]

Thanks! I owned Hollywood. It's good, but paled a bit on repeated readings, so didn't "make the cut" when I downsized the personal library. Will definitely try Post Office next.

There's definitely funny stuff in the short story collections, but some serious darkness mixed in...

Interesting that you mention Barfly; Hollywood treatments generally don't fare well with literature fans. I may have to set aside my dislike for Mickey Rourke and rent it.

Edited August 31, 2007 by T.D.

[7/4]

Women, Hollywood...pretty much any of his novels.

For a while, he was a roll model for me.

[fent99]

Post Office is definitely a good place to start though Ham on Rye would be my favourite. Hollywood is definitely weaker than the others mentioned. There's a great reader out there "Run with the Hunted" with excerpts from novels, short stories and poetry. I'd usually pass on these kinds of things but its really good and a good intro to the poetry esp.

Try John Fante too as a precurser to the style (if not the content), excellent stuff

[Jazzmoose]

Sounds like Post Office is the one to start with. I'll check out the other book as well, fent; it was his poetry I spotted on a website that got me curious. It really hit home.

[Bright Moments]

ham on rye

WARNING THREAD HIJACK FOLLOWS:::

was bukowski a jazz fan. i would like to believe so. i wonder what he would listen to?

[7/4]

It's been a while since I read the books, so I don't remember any mention of Jazz. But he writes about classical music a lot. He loves it.

.

[Bright Moments]

if he were a jazz fan i bet he would be into steve bernstein.

[johnlitweiler]

Re Bukowski's fiction, earlier is better -- Post Office, Women, Dirty Old Man Notes and other stories of that period, for example. After he got rich from writing the Barfly screenplay, and after he got famous, he was still prolific but he lost a lot of his punch. (Of course, you can hardly blame him for preferring security to poverty.)

Barfly is hilarious, an alcoholic's dream of the perfect life: getting his story published and gorgeous women fighting for his sexual attention.

He did not like jazz.

[Bright Moments]

Re Bukowski's fiction, earlier is better -- Post Office, Women, Dirty Old Man Notes and other stories of that period, for example. After he got rich from writing the Barfly screenplay, and after he got famous, he was still prolific but he lost a lot of his punch. (Of course, you can hardly blame him for preferring security to poverty.)

Barfly is hilarious, an alcoholic's dream of the perfect life: getting his story published and gorgeous women fighting for his sexual attention.

He did not like jazz.

dang

[jeffcrom]

No one has mentioned Bukowski's poetry yet. Maybe because it might not really be poetry - I would be unable to argue with anyone who says that it's just prose arranged interestingly on the page. I really like it when I'm the right mood, though. I read The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills in one sitting about 20 years ago. I will admit that the title is probably better than any of the poems inside.

That title captures the fleeting quality of life as well as anything I've ever heard.

[Chas]

Don't really have anything to add to the literary recommendations in this thread , but as far as filmic depictions of Bukowski himself , I like Ben Gazzara's performance in Tales Of Ordinary Madness best . I thought Mickey Rourke gave a good performance , exaggerated speech patterns and all , in Barfly , and Faye Dunaway was creditable as well . On the other hand , Matt Dillon and Marisa Tomei were both badly miscast in Factotum ; that's one to skip . I think the best way to understand the man behind the words is to watch Barbet Schroeder's documentary The Charles Bukowski Tapes . It requires a time commitment of four hours , so you have to have more than a passing interest , but if you do , it's not to be missed .

[Jazzmoose]

No one has mentioned Bukowski's poetry yet.

Well, maybe you missed those posts...

[paul secor]

Another vote for Post Office. I worked for the postal service and, while my experiences never quite matched Bukowski's, there's a lot of truth there.

I'll recommend Dangling in the Tournefortia if anyone's interested in reading Bukowski's poetry.

[paul secor]

No one has mentioned Bukowski's poetry yet.

Well, maybe you missed those posts...

As far as I can see (& I may not be seeing very well this morning), this

"There's a great reader out there "Run with the Hunted" with excerpts from novels, short stories and poetry. I'd usually pass on these kinds of things but its really good and a good intro to the poetry esp."

was the only previous mention of Bukowski's poetry, and it only mentioned the poetry in passing.

[7/4]

No one has mentioned Bukowski's poetry yet. Maybe because it might not really be poetry - I would be unable to argue with anyone who says that it's just prose arranged interestingly on the page.

I have a few of his poetry books and always kinda wondered about that too.