Charles Bukowski Books -

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) remains one of the most raw, controversial, and imitated voices in 20th-century American literature. He was a cult figure who became a mainstream success, a poet who wrote like a drunk on a bender, and a novelist who turned the ugly, mundane corners of Los Angeles into epic poetry.

To approach Bukowski’s bibliography is not to seek refined prose or uplifting themes. It is to confront the bleary-eyed, bloody-knuckled reality of the alcoholic, the down-and-out, and the postman. His work is semi-autobiographical, chronicling the alter-ego through decades of low-rent hotels, dead-end jobs, and horse races. charles bukowski books

His books fall into three distinct categories: the raw poetry of his youth, the legendary Chinaski novels of his middle age, and the posthumous flood of collected works. Here is a proper guide to the essential Bukowski library. If you read nothing else, read these four novels. They form the spine of Bukowski’s literary legend. 1. Post Office (1971) The Gateway Drug. Bukowski was 51 years old when this, his first novel, was published. Legend has it that his publisher, John Martin of Black Sparrow Press, offered him a $100 monthly stipend to quit the post office and write full-time. Bukowski wrote Post Office in three weeks. Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) remains one of the most

This is the most existential of his novels. It is not about rising up, but about staying afloat It is to confront the bleary-eyed, bloody-knuckled reality