Charles Bukowski
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Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a
German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...
poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted home city of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Bukowski's work addresses the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work. The
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
kept a file on him as a result of his column '' Notes of a Dirty Old Man'' in the LA underground newspaper '' Open City''. Bukowski published extensively in small literary magazines and with small presses beginning in the early 1940s and continuing on through the early 1990s. He wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over sixty books during the course of his career. Some of these works include his ''Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window'', published by his friend and fellow poet Charles Potts, and better-known works such as ''Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame''. These poems and stories were later republished by John Martin's Black Sparrow Press (now
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/
Ecco Press Ecco is a New York–based publishing imprint of HarperCollins. It was founded in 1971 by Daniel Halpern as an independent publishing company; Publishers Weekly described it as "one of America's best-known literary houses." In 1999 Ecco was acquir ...
) as collected volumes of his work. As noted by one reviewer, "Bukowski continued to be, thanks to his antics and deliberate clownish performances, the king of the underground and the epitome of the littles in the ensuing decades, stressing his loyalty to those small press editors who had first championed his work and consolidating his presence in new ventures such as the '' New York Quarterly'', '' Chiron Review'', or ''
Slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or water) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving object, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is moving. The term slips ...
''." In 1986, ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' called Bukowski a "
laureate In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or Military awards and decorations, military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Pri ...
of American lowlife". Regarding his enduring popular appeal, Adam Kirsch of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' wrote, "the secret of Bukowski's appeal ... s thathe combines the confessional poet's promise of intimacy with the larger-than-life aplomb of a pulp-fiction hero." During his lifetime, Bukowski received little attention from academic critics in the United States, but was better received in
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, particularly the
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, and especially
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, where he was born. Since his death in March 1994, Bukowski has been the subject of a number of critical articles and books about both his life and writings.


Biography


Family and early years

Charles Bukowski was born Heinrich Karl Bukowski in
Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...
,
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, Weimar Germany. His father was Heinrich (Henry) Bukowski, an American of German descent who had served in the U.S. army of occupation after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and had remained in Germany after his army service. His mother was Katharina (née Fett). His paternal grandfather, Leonard Bukowski, had moved to the United States from
Imperial Germany The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
in the 1880s. In
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, Leonard met Emilie Krause, an ethnic German, who had emigrated from Danzig (now
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
). They married and settled in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, where Leonard worked as a successful carpenter. The couple had four children, including Heinrich (Henry), Charles Bukowski's father.''Charles Bukowski'' (2009) Barry Miles. Random House, 2009, His mother, Katharina Bukowski, was the daughter of Wilhelm Fett and Nannette Israel. The name ''Israel'' is widespread among Catholics in the
Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
region. Bukowski assumed his paternal ancestor had moved from Poland to Germany around 1780, as "Bukowski" is a Polish last name. As far back as Bukowski could trace, his whole family was German. Bukowski's parents met in Andernach following World War I. His father was German-American and a sergeant in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
serving in Germany after the empire's defeat in 1918. He had an affair with Katharina, a German friend's sister, and she subsequently became pregnant. Bukowski repeatedly claimed to be born out of wedlock, but Andernach marital records indicate that his parents married one month before his birth.Sounes, Howard. Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life, p. 8 Afterwards, Bukowski's father became a building contractor, set to make great financial gains in the aftermath of the war, and after two years moved the family to Pfaffendorf (today part of
Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
). However, given the crippling postwar reparations being required of Germany, which led to a stagnant economy and high levels of inflation, he was unable to make a living and decided to move the family to the U.S. On April 18, 1923, they sailed from
Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...
to
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, where they settled. His family moved to Mid-City, Los Angeles, in 1930. Bukowski's father was often unemployed. In the autobiographical '' Ham on Rye'', Bukowski says that, with his mother's acquiescence, his father was frequently abusive, both physically and mentally, beating his son for the smallest imagined offense. He later told an interviewer that his father beat him with a razor strop three times a week from the ages of six to 11 years. He says that it helped his writing, as he came to understand undeserved pain. Young Bukowski spoke English with a strong German accent and was taunted by his childhood playmates with the epithet "Heini," German diminutive of Heinrich, in his early youth. He was shy and socially withdrawn, a condition exacerbated during his teen years by an extreme case of
acne Acne ( ), also known as ''acne vulgaris'', is a long-term Cutaneous condition, skin condition that occurs when Keratinocyte, dead skin cells and Sebum, oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include comedo, ...
. Neighborhood children ridiculed his accent and the clothing his parents made him wear. The
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
bolstered his rage as he grew, and gave him much of his voice and material for his writings. In his early teen years, Bukowski had an epiphany when he was introduced to alcohol by his friend William "Baldy" Mullinax, depicted as "Eli LaCrosse" in ''Ham on Rye'', son of an alcoholic surgeon. "This lcoholis going to help me for a very long time," he later wrote, describing a method (drinking) he could use to come to more amicable terms with his own life. Bukowski attended Susan Miller Dorsey High School for one year before transferring to Los Angeles High School. After graduating from high school in 1939, Bukowski attended
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...
for two years, taking courses in art, journalism, and literature, before quitting at the start of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He then moved to New York City to begin a career as a financially pinched blue-collar worker with hopes of becoming a writer. On July 22, 1944, with the war ongoing, Bukowski was arrested by
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, where he lived at the time, on suspicion of
draft evasion Conscription evasion or draft evasion (American English) is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military dr ...
. At a time when the U.S. was at war with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, and many Germans and German-Americans on the home front were suspected of disloyalty, Bukowski's German birth troubled the authorities. He was held for seventeen days in Philadelphia's
Moyamensing Prison Moyamensing Prison was a prison in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Thomas Ustick Walter. Its cornerstone was laid on April 2, 1832; it opened on October 19, 1835, was in use until 1963, and w ...
. Sixteen days later, he failed a psychological examination that was part of his mandatory military entrance physical test and was given a
Selective Service The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft). ...
Classification of 4-F (unfit for military service).


Early writing

When Bukowski was aged 23 (March-April 1944), his short story "Aftermath of a Lengthy Rejection Slip" was published in ''Story'' magazine. Two years later, another short story, "20 Tanks from Kasseldown", was published by the Black Sun Press in Issue III of '' Portfolio: An Intercontinental Quarterly'', a limited-run, loose-leaf broadside collection printed in 1946 and edited by Caresse Crosby. Failing to break into the literary world, Bukowski grew disillusioned with the publication process and quit writing for almost a decade, a time that he referred to as a "ten-year drunk". These "lost years" formed the basis for his later semiautobiographical chronicles, and there are fictionalized versions of Bukowski's life through his highly stylized alter-ego, Henry Chinaski. However, Bukowski never fully gave up writing and had occasional pieces published during this period. The “ten-year drunk” was part of the Chinaski Legend, similar to
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
’s Duluoz Legend. During part of this period he continued living in Los Angeles, working at a pickle factory for a short time but also spending some time roaming about the U.S., working sporadically and staying in cheap
rooming house A rooming house, also called a "multi-tenant house", is a "dwelling with multiple Lease-by-room, rooms rented out individually", in which the tenants share kitchen and often bathroom facilities. Rooming houses are often used as housing for low-i ...
s. In the early 1950s, he took a job as a fill-in letter carrier with the
United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet of the Un ...
in Los Angeles, but resigned just before he reached three years' service. In the spring of 1954, Bukowski was treated for a near-fatal bleeding
ulcer An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughin ...
. After leaving the hospital he began to write poetry. The next year he agreed to marry small-town Texas poet Barbara Frye, but they divorced in 1958. According to Howard Sounes's '' Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life'', she later died under mysterious circumstances in India. Following his divorce, Bukowski resumed drinking and continued writing poetry. Several of Bukowski's poems were published in the late 1950s in ''Gallows'', a small poetry magazine published briefly (the magazine lasted for two issues) by Jon Griffith. The small ''
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
'' literary magazine ''
Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
'', published by Anthony Linick and Donald Factor (the son of Max Factor Jr.), offered a home to Bukowski's early work. ''Nomad''s inaugural issue in 1959 featured two of his poems. A year later, ''Nomad'' published one of Bukowski's best-known essays, ''Manifesto: A Call for Our Own Critics''.


1960s

By 1960, Bukowski had returned to the post office in Los Angeles and began work as a letter filing clerk, a position he held for more than a decade. In 1962, he was distraught over the death of Jane Cooney Baker, his first serious girlfriend. Bukowski turned his inner devastation into a series of poems and stories lamenting her death.Bukowski, Charles ''Run with the hunted: a Charles Bukowski reader'', Edited by John Martin (Ecco, 2003), pp. 363–365 E.V. Griffith, editor of Hearse Press, published Bukowski's first separately printed publication, a broadside titled "His Wife, the Painter," in June 1960. This event was followed by Hearse Press's publication of "Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail," Bukowski's first
chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...
of poems, in October 1960. "His Wife, the Painter" and three other broadsides ("The Paper on the Floor", "The Old Man on the Corner" and "Waste Basket") formed the centerpiece of Hearse Press's "Coffin 1", an innovative small-poetry publication consisting of a pocketed folder containing forty-two broadsides and
lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
s which was published in 1964. Hearse Press continued to publish poems by Bukowski through the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. Jon and Louise Webb, publishers of the literary magazine '' The Outsider'', featured some of Bukowski's poetry in its pages. Under the Loujon Press imprint, the Webbs published Bukowski's ''It Catches My Heart in Its Hands'' in 1963 and ''Crucifix in a Deathhand'' in 1965. In 1964 a daughter, Marina Louise Bukowski, was born to Bukowski and his live-in girlfriend Frances Smith. She would be his only child. Beginning in 1967, Bukowski wrote the column '' Notes of a Dirty Old Man'' for Los Angeles' '' Open City'', an underground newspaper. When ''Open City'' was shut down in 1969, the column was picked up by the ''
Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher un ...
'' as well as the hippie underground paper '' NOLA Express'' in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. In 1969, Bukowski and Neeli Cherkovski launched their own short-lived mimeographed literary magazine, '' Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns''. They produced three issues over the next two years.


Black Sparrow years

In 1969, Bukowski accepted an offer from Black Sparrow Press publisher John Martin and quit his post office job to dedicate himself to full-time writing. He was then 49 years old. As he explained in a letter at the time, "I have one of two choices – stay in the post office and go crazy ... or stay out here and play at writer and starve. I have decided to starve." Less than one month after leaving the postal service he finished his first novel, ''
Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
''. As a measure of respect for Martin's financial support and faith in a relatively unknown writer, Bukowski published almost all of his subsequent major works with Black Sparrow Press, which became a highly successful enterprise. An avid supporter of small independent presses, Bukowski continued to submit poems and short stories to innumerable small publications throughout his career. Bukowski embarked on a series of love affairs and one-night trysts. One of these relationships was with Linda King, a sculptor and poet. Critic Robert Peters reported seeing Bukowski as an actor in King's play ''Only a Tenant'', in which she and Bukowski stage-read the first act at the Pasadena Museum of the Artist. This was a one-off performance of what was a shambolic work. Bukowski's other affairs were with a recording executive and a twenty-three-year-old redhead; he wrote a book of poetry as a tribute to his love for the latter, titled, "Scarlet" (Black Sparrow Press, 1976). His various affairs and relationships provided material for his stories and poems. Another important relationship was with "Tanya",
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
of "Amber O'Neil" (also a pseudonym), described in Bukowski's "Women" as a pen-pal that evolved into a weekend tryst at Bukowski's residence in Los Angeles in the 1970s. "Amber O'Neil" later self-published a chapbook about the affair entitled "Blowing My Hero". In 1976, Bukowski met Linda Lee Beighle, a health food restaurant owner, rock-and-roll groupie, aspiring actress, heiress to a small Philadelphia "Main Line" fortune and devotee of
Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spirituality, spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following o ...
. Two years later he moved from the East Hollywood area, where he had lived for most of his life, to the harborside community of San Pedro, the southernmost district of Los Angeles. Beighle followed him and they lived together intermittently over the next two years. They were eventually married by
Manly Palmer Hall Manly Palmer Hall (18 March 1901 – 29 August 1990) was an American writer, lecturer, astrologer and mystic. Over his 70-year career he gave thousands of lectures and published over 150 volumes, of which the best known is ''The Secret ...
, a Canadian-born author, mystic, and spiritual teacher, in 1985. Beighle is referred to as "Sara" in Bukowski's novels ''
Women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...
'' and '' Hollywood''. In the 1980s, Bukowski collaborated with cartoonist
Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American c ...
on a series of comic books, with Bukowski supplying the writing and Crumb providing the artwork. Through the 1990s Crumb also illustrated a number of Bukowski's stories, including the collection ''The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship'' and the story " Bring Me Your Love". Bukowski was also published in '' Beloit Poetry Journal''.


Live poetry readings

Bukowski's live readings were legendary, with the drunk raucous crowd fighting with the drunk angry poet. In 1972, Joe Wolberg, who was the manager of City Lights Books in San Francisco, rented a hall and paid Bukowski to read his poems. A vinyl album was released by City Lights, which was re-issued by Takoma Records in 1980.''Record Collector Magazine" May – June 2021 Page 35 In May 1978, Bukowski traveled to
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
and gave a live poetry reading of his work before an audience in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. This was released as a double 12" L.P. stereo record titled "CHARLES BUKOWSKI 'Hello. It's good to be back. His last international performance was in October 1979 in
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Canada, and was released on DVD as '' There's Gonna Be a God Damn Riot in Here''. The reading was produced by fan/friend Dennis Del Torre, who rented a venue, Viking Hall, paid Bukowski and his wife Linda to fly up, hired a video crew, promoted the event, and sold tickets. The crowd and Bukowski were very drunk for the event. A heckler was near the stage and can be heard clearly. Del Torre later went to Bukowski's widow, Linda Bukowski, for permission to license it. He thought it was the last reading Bukowski gave, but Linda told him there was another reading after that in Redondo Beach, CA, in early 1980. In March 1980 he gave his very last reading at the Sweetwater music venue in
Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...
, which was released as ''Hostage'' on vinyl and audio CD, and '' The Last Straw'' on DVD, filmed and produced by Jon Monday for mondayMEDIA. In 2010 the unedited versions of both ''The Last Straw'' and ''Riot'' were released as ''One Tough Mother'' on DVD.


Death and legacy

Bukowski died of
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
on March 9, 1994, in San Pedro, aged 73, shortly after completing his last novel, '' Pulp''. The funeral rites, orchestrated by his widow, were conducted by
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
monks. He is interred at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. An account of the proceedings can be found in Gerald Locklin's book ''Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet''. His gravestone reads: "Don't Try", a phrase which Bukowski uses in one of his poems, advising aspiring writers and poets about inspiration and creativity. Bukowski explained the phrase in a 1963 letter to John William Corrington: "Somebody at one of these places ..asked me: 'What do you do? How do you write, create?' You don't, I told them. You don't try. That's very important: ''not'' to try, either for Cadillacs, creation or immortality. You wait, and if nothing happens, you wait some more. It's like a bug high on the wall. You wait for it to come to you. When it gets close enough you reach out, slap out and kill it. Or, if you like its looks, you make a pet out of it." Bukowski's work was subject to controversy throughout his career. Hugh Fox claimed that his
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
in his poetry, at least in part, translated into his life. In 1969, Fox published the first critical study of Bukowski in '' The North American Review'', and mentioned his attitude toward women: "When women are around, he has to play Man. In a way it's the same kind of 'pose' he plays at in his poetry— Bogart, Eric Von Stroheim. Whenever my wife Lucia would come with me to visit him he'd play the Man role, but one night she couldn't come I got to Buk's place and found a whole different guy—easy to get along with, relaxed, accessible." In June 2006, Bukowski's literary archive was donated by his widow to the Huntington Library in
San Marino, California San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census. History Origin of name Th ...
. Copies of all editions of his work published by the Black Sparrow Press are held at Western Michigan University, which purchased the archive of the publishing house after its closure in 2003.
Ecco Press Ecco is a New York–based publishing imprint of HarperCollins. It was founded in 1971 by Daniel Halpern as an independent publishing company; Publishers Weekly described it as "one of America's best-known literary houses." In 1999 Ecco was acquir ...
continues to release new collections of his poetry, culled from the thousands of works published in small literary magazines. According to
Ecco Press Ecco is a New York–based publishing imprint of HarperCollins. It was founded in 1971 by Daniel Halpern as an independent publishing company; Publishers Weekly described it as "one of America's best-known literary houses." In 1999 Ecco was acquir ...
, the 2007 release ''The People Look Like Flowers at Last'' will be his final
posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
release, as now all his once-unpublished work has been made available.


Writing

Writers including John Fante,
Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...
, Louis-Ferdinand Céline,
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
, Robinson Jeffers, Henry Miller, D. H. Lawrence,
Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...
,
Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Chinese poet and politician during the Tang dynasty. Together with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai, Du is often considered one of the greatest Chinese poets of his time. His greatest ambition was to serve ...
Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...
, and
James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist, and playwright. He was best known for his gag cartoon, cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' an ...
are noted as influences on Bukowski's writing. Bukowski often spoke of Los Angeles as his favorite subject. In a 1974 interview he said, "You live in a town all your life, and you get to know every bitch on the street corner and half of them you have already messed around with. You've got the layout of the whole land. You have a picture of where you are.... Since I was raised in L.A., I've always had the geographical and spiritual feeling of being here. I've had time to learn this city. I can't see any other place than L.A." Bukowski also performed live readings of his works, beginning in 1962 on radio station
KPFK KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, which serves Southern California. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Radio network. KPFK 90.7 FM be ...
in Los Angeles and increasing in frequency through the 1970s. Drinking was often a featured part of the readings, along with a combative banter with the audience. Bukowski could also be generous; for example, after a sold-out show at Amazingrace Coffeehouse in Evanston,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, on November 18, 1975, he signed and illustrated over 100 copies of his poem "Winter," published by No Mountains Poetry Project. By the late 1970s, Bukowski's income was sufficient to give up live readings. One critic has described Bukowski's fiction as a "detailed depiction of a certain taboo male fantasy: the uninhibited bachelor, slobby, anti-social, and utterly free", an image he tried to live up to with sometimes riotous public poetry readings and boorish party behavior. A few critics and commentators also supported the idea that Bukowski was a cynic, as a man and a writer. Bukowski denied being a cynic, stating: "I've always been accused of being a cynic. I think cynicism is sour grapes. I think cynicism is a weakness."


Poetry editorial controversy

Over half of Bukowski's collections have been published posthumously. Posthumous collections have been remarked as 'John Martinized' , with the poems having been highly edited, at a level which was not present during Bukowski's lifetime. One example of a popular poem, "Roll the Dice" (when comparing the original manuscript to "What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire"), themes such as
hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
and
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
are removed. The creative editing present includes changing lines from "against total rejection and the highest of odds" to "despite rejection and the worst odds".


In popular culture


In music

* American Band Modest Mouse have a song titled Bukowski from their album Good News for People who Love Bad News. * American band
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
reference Bukowski and his works in several songs; singer
Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American musician and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Kiedis spent his youth in ...
has stated that Bukowski is a big influence on his writing. *
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
stopped
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...
concerts to read Bukowski in 2014. He later quoted "Old Man, Dead in a Room" in his song "Woman," and opened his 2021 Love on Tour shows with a quote from "Style". * The Volcano Choir song "Alaskans" features a recording of Bukowski reading a poem on French television. * " Bluebird" by Miranda Lambert is claimed to be the first country song inspired by Charles Bukowski to reach Number 1. * A 2006 musical comedy, ''Bukowsical!'', by Spencer Green and Gary Stockdale, pokes fun at Bukowski's life and hipster image.


In film

* '' Barfly'', released in 1987, is a semi-autobiographical film written by Bukowski and starring Mickey Rourke as Henry Chinaski, who represents Bukowski, and
Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, ...
as his lover Wanda Wilcox.
Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
offered to play Chinaski for one dollar as long as his friend Dennis Hopper would direct, but the European director
Barbet Schroeder Barbet Schroeder (born 26 August 1941) is an Iranian-born Swiss film director and producer who started his career in French cinema in the 1960s, working with directors of the French New Wave such as Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohm ...
had invested many years and thousands of dollars in the project and Bukowski felt Schroeder deserved to make it. Bukowski wrote the screenplay, was given script approval, and appears as a bar patron in a brief cameo. * The 1991 French film '' ''Lune Froide'''', directed by Patrick Bouchitey, was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, and is based on the short stories "The Copulating Mermaid of Venice" and "Trouble with the Battery". * The 2005 film '' Factotum'', adapted from Bukowski's 1975 novel of the same name, was released to mixed reviews. * In 2013, actor
James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...
directed a film simply titled ''Bukowski'', with
Josh Peck Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, and YouTuber. Peck began his career as a child actor, appearing in the film Snow Day (2000 film), ''Snow Day'' (2000) and the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''The Ama ...
playing the writer. Franco wrote the script with his brother Dave. The adaptation began shooting in Los Angeles on January 22, 2013, and was partially shot in Oxford Square, a historic neighborhood of Los Angeles. In April 2014, producer Cyril Humphris sued Franco, claiming that the film was an unauthorized adaptation of Bukowski's '' Ham on Rye'', to which Humphris had the film rights. The lawsuit was eventually settled in October 2014, but the film has not been released since. * Bukowski appeared with a cameo in the 1977 movie '' Supervan'', as the "Wet T-Shirt Contest Water Boy". * '' Tales of Ordinary Madness'' (Italian: Storie di ordinaria follia, French: Contes de la folie ordinaire), starring Ben Gazara and Ornella Muti, is a 1981 film by Italian director Marco Ferreri, based on the 1972 collection '' Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness''.


Selected works


Novels

* 1971 – ''
Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
'' * 1975 – '' Factotum'' * 1978 – ''
Women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...
'' * 1982 – '' Ham on Rye'' * 1989 – '' Hollywood'' * 1994 – '' Pulp''


Poetry collections

* ''Flower, Fist, and Bestial Wail'' (1960) * ''It Catches My Heart in Its Hands'' (1963) (title taken from Robinson Jeffers poem, "Hellenistics") * ''Crucifix in a Deathhand'' (1965) * ''At Terror Street and Agony Way'' (1968) * ''Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8-story Window'' (1968) * ''A Bukowski Sampler'' (1969) * ''The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills'' (1969) * ''Fire Station'' (1970) * ''Mockingbird Wish Me Luck'' (1972) * ''Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame: Selected Poems 1955–1973'' (1974) * ''Maybe Tomorrow'' (1977) * ''Love Is a Dog from Hell'' (1977) * ''Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit'' (1979) * ''Dangling in the Tournefortia'' (1981) * ''War All the Time: Poems 1981–1984'' (1984) * ''You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense'' (1986) * ''The Roominghouse Madrigals'' (1988) * ''Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems'' (1990) * ''People Poems'' (1991) * ''The Last Night of the Earth Poems'' (1992) * ''Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories'' (1996) * ''What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire.'' (1999) * ''Open All Night'' (2000) * ''The Night Torn Mad with Footsteps'' (2001) * ''Slouching Toward Nirvana'' (2005) * ''The Pleasures of the Damned: Selected Poems 1951–1993'' (2007) * ''The Continual Condition'' (2009) * ''On Cats'' (2015) * ''On Love'' (2016) * ''Storm for the Living and the Dead'' (2017)


Short story chapbooks and collections

* ''Confessions of a Man Insane Enough to Live with Beasts'' (1965) * '' Notes of a Dirty Old Man'' (1969) * '' Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness'' (1972) * '' South of No North'' (1973) * '' Hot Water Music'' (1983) * '' Bring Me Your Love'' (1983) * '' Tales of Ordinary Madness'' (1983) * '' The Most Beautiful Woman in Town'' (1983) * '' Portions from a Wine-stained Notebook: Short Stories and Essays'' (2008) * ''Absence of the Hero'' (2010) * '' More Notes of a Dirty Old Man'' (2011) * ''The Bell Tolls For No One'' (CityLights, 2015 edition) * ''On Drinking'' (2019)


Nonfiction books

* ''Shakespeare Never Did This'' (1979); expanded (1995) * ''The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship'' (1998) * ''On Writing''; Edited by Abel Debritto (2015) * ''The Mathematics of the Breath and the Way: On Writers and Writing''; Edited by David Stephen Calonne (City Lights, 2018)


See also

* Charles Bukowski's influence on popular culture * '' Bukowski'' (1973 film)


References


Further reading

* Glenn Esterly/Abe Frajndlich (2020). ''Bukowski. The shooting. By Abe Frajndlich.'' Hirmer Publishers. . * Miles, Barry (2005). ''Charles Bukowski''. Virgin Books. . * Brewer, Gay (1997). ''Charles Bukowski: Twayne's United States Authors Series''. . * Calonne, David Stephen (2012). ''Charles Bukowski''. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-780230238. * Charlson, David (2005). ''Charles Bukowski: Autobiographer, Gender Critic, Iconoclast''. Trafford Press. . * Cherkovski, Neeli (1991). ''Hank: The Life of Charles Bukowski''. . * Dorbin, Sanford (1969). ''A Bibliography of Charles Bukowski'', Black Sparrow Press. * Duval Jean-François (2002). ''Bukowski and the Beats followed by An Evening at Buk's Place: an Interview with Charles Bukowski''. Sun Dog Press. . * Fogel, Al (2000). ''Charles Bukowski: A Comprehensive Price Guide & Checklist, 1944–1999''. * Fox, Hugh (1969). ''Charles Bukowski: A Critical and Bibliographical Study''. * Harrison, Russell (1994). ''Against The American Dream: Essays on Charles Bukowski''. . * Krumhansl, Aaron (1999). ''A Descriptive Bibliography of the Primary Publications of Charles Bukowski''. Black Sparrow Press. . * Pleasants, Ben (2004). ''Visceral Bukowski''. * Sounes, Howard (1998). '' Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life''. . * Wood, Pamela (2010). ''Charles Bukowski's Scarlet''. Sun Dog Press. . * Roni (2020). ''Charles Bukowski Timeline''. ''A special publication of the Charles-Bukowski-Society in cooperation with bukowski.net & Michael J. Phillips''. MaroVerlag. .


External links

*
Works by Charles Bukowski, cataloged by WorldCat

Timeline of Bukowski's life and publications
at "the world's premiere Charles Bukowski website and discussion forum"

at Poetry Foundation
Profile and poems at Poets.org

"Hanging with Bukowski at the Gotlieb Center"
. ''BU Today''.
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
March 26, 2009
Guide to the Charles Bukowski Manuscript.
Special Collections and Archives, The
UC Irvine UC may refer to: Education In the United States * University of California system * University of Charleston, West Virginia * University of Chicago, Illinois * University of Cincinnati, Ohio * Upsala College, East Orange, New Jersey (''defunct ...
Libraries,
Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
.
"Bukowski Comes to Wormwood"
, '' The Wormwood Review'' 1985
"Mickey Rourke plays a tough barfly"
. Interview with Bukowski February 10, 1987. ''
Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
''
13 August 2000 Bukowski profile (audio, 11 mins)
'' NPR''.
"Smashed:The pulp poetry of Charles Bukowski"
by Adam Kirsch at ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' March 14, 2005
HarperCollins profile, timeline and resources

Bukowski Court Historical Marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bukowski, Charles 1920 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American Buddhists 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers American agnostics American erotica writers American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male poets American male short story writers American male screenwriters Beat Generation writers Biographical films about writers Counterculture of the 1960s Counterculture of the 1970s Counterculture of the 1980s Counterculture of the 1990s Critics of capitalism Deaths from leukemia in California German agnostics German Buddhists German emigrants to the United States Obscenity controversies in literature Outlaw poets People from Andernach People from the Weimar Republic Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni Writers about activism and social change Writers from Los Angeles Writers from the Rhine Province Takoma Records artists