From Publishers Weekly
From recollections of early childhood in Germany and L.A. in the '20s to the unflinching reflections of a grizzled septuagenarian, the stunning directness and infamous "bad attitude" of Bukowski's autobiographical poetry and fiction are as captivating as they are repugnant. Faithfully anthologized here by his longtime editor and arranged in chronological order, these excerpts from more than 20 of Bukowski's published books chronicle--both explicitly and through several recurring personas--the major events of the author's life: childhood, the Depression and WW II, the deaths of parents and lovers, his experience in Hollywood, illness and old age. Bukowski's signature themes are also present: the racetrack, drinking, violence, women, sex and, of course, writing. Set in some half-dozen big cities, and several grim hinterlands in between, they depict protagonists listlessly careening through unusual jobs, seedy bars and squalid apartments where they are observed in fierce lovers' quarrels or in solitary debauch with just some booze and a typewriter. All are rendered with great immediacy, disturbing candor and Bukowski's singular blend of cynicism, misanthropy and unexpected sentimentality. While devotees may prefer the original volumes in their entirety, this is an effective primer for the uninitiated, or a refresher for past readers who, incredibly, have managed to forget.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The late Charles Bukowski's best-known work is the screenplay for BARFLY, the relentlessly hopeless self-portrait of seedy denizens of a seedy pub. Aficionados know his poetry and short stories, which reflect his scrappy, hard-drinking life in the duskier quarters of Los Angeles. Since his death in 1993, his stature as the bard of dissipation has spread to the mainstream literati. This recording presents him at 65, unlaundered, profane, in his living room, bantering with his producers and wife as he records a selection of his work. Whether or not he reads well is beside the point; this is a fascinating portrait of the artist as an old drunk. The sound quality is immaculate, the side comments revealing. Producer John Runette teases a great deal of personality out of his subject. Totally unique. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
