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Product Description
Product Description
"It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel—the one that catapulted its author to national fame—is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.
About the Author
Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany, and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for fifty years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was twenty-four, and began writing poetry at the age of thirty-five. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of seventy-three, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious yet sad,
By
This review is from: Post Office (Paperback)
Post Office by Charles Bukowski is a very short novel that should only be read by older readers because of the numerous references to women and sex. There isn't really a climax to the story because it revolves around work, but it has humour throughout, thus it will not bore the reader. I did not like that the women in the novel are seen as worthless things that are only there for Henry to sleep with and are not good for anything else.Post Office is written through the eyes of Henry Chinaski, a middle aged man, whose life revolves around drinking and women. Henry's life at the U.S. Postal Service began as a mistake during Christmas season when the post office would hire anyone. As a substitute mail carrier, Henry tells about his life at the post office and his carelessness of his work. There are his superiors with impossible demands, and Henry talking back to them and disappearing from work for days at a time. Every morning when he comes into work, he has a hangover. Henry hates work and his workplace is unorganized and irrational, yet he must earn to survive. After getting bored of the post office numerous times, Henry quits, yet always makes it back there after going through different jobs and different women. Although Henry describes his life humorously, he seems like a terribly lonely man, which will seem more noticeable in the later parts of the novel. The story then continues in Charles Bukowski's other novel called Women. 4.5/5
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warts and all ... a great read.,
By Christa DeGrazia "Kalla" (Ottawa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Post Office: A Novel (Paperback)
Great? I guess that subjective, right? But there's something about the rawness of the storytelling here that really appealed to me. Bukowski is a vulgarian in many ways, but that's his charm. It's like sitting down with the town drunk. In Bukowski's case, he's a survivor. And what he managed to save is his own human spirit.Yeah, life is full of humiliations. And the workaday world of tedious labor can erode our humanity. I really liked this book. No it will never be an Oprah book. It's like a crudely made outsider work of art. Yet it's genuine. Definitely worth checking out.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"It started as a mistake" ... and became Bukowski's greatest,
By
This review is from: Post Office (Paperback)
"Post Office" is Bukowski's first book. He wrote it in three weeks. When his publisher asked how he'd written so fast, and what his motivations were, Bukowski answered simply: "Fear."Judging from the text -- and the accounts of people featured in the book saying it's 100% truthful and authentic -- there must have been a lot of fear in Bukowski's life at the time. Constantly poor, with ever-evolving woman problems, Bukowski resorted to the bottle and tried to solve his problems with alcoholism. Of course we all know alcoholism creates more problems than it solves, but in Bukowski's eyes, it was the only refuge from a madcap insane world. Buk's writing goes straight for the throat. His short, simple sentences are deceivingly perceptive and illuminative. You'll be shocked at points to feel your heart soften as Buk's poetic lines ease into your soul like a tired drunk flopping on a couch. He is that good. Inspired by John Fante -- another good writer -- Bukowski decided to skip all the unnecessary garbage in other writer's writing and keep everything simple. In that way, "Post Office" is very Hemingway, but simpler, and anybody can pick this book up, read it in a day, and enjoy it immensely. It's almost like it's written for children. Except, of course, for the adult themes. There's a rape scene in this book that is probably the only funny rape scene ever depicted in American literature. And rape isn't funny. Somehow, Bukowski disarms the reader with his simplicity and cynical sense of humor, and allows anything he says to be cute and interesting. It's almost impossible to be offended by Bukowski, and if you are, well, this just isn't the book for you. Bukowski is very popular with college students who're just trying to stretch their drinking/writing legs. Unfortunately for everybody except Buk, who died in 1994, nobody can copy his writing style no matter how hard they try. I went to Emerson College in Boston, and many people -- including myself -- tried to infuse their writing with the simplicity and poetic nature Bukowski has, but for some reason, it's virtually impossible. He makes it look easy. It's not. Check it out. Drink a beer. Have a good time. Bukowski won't let the average or above-average reader down. It's those sub par readers he'll anger and disappoint.
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