What's /lit/s opinion on Bukowski? Objectively speaking hes far from one of the best, but personally hes one of my heroes. The guy really know how to write a genuine, juicty piece of work. Great confessional writer too - never holds back on displaying his complete character, noatter how vulnerable it would make him.
>genuine
lol
he's trash
Whose your favorite then
No idea who that is, but he's the ugliest motherfucker I done ever seen
>>7782964
>Whose
your'ep
>>7782954
Hows it going reddit?
I found Bukowski about 3 weeks ago and have been reading all of his narrative books. I really like his work but its hard to get through sometimes on just how depressing it gets. Bukowski is great at evoking an image and making you empathize with the character, not like the character but understand their conflict.
I think hes a master storyteller and has one of the greatest eyes for observations and anecdotes that ive ever seen. i also think the guys hard to read just because of how hopeless his stuff is, but also because of how ameturish his writing can be at times
hated on too much by /lit/
>>7783055
Most young male book readers go through a Bukowski phase, and they look back on it very critically. Same with Vonnegut and Palahniuk, hence the outsized inventive for all of them here.
It's not that these writers are bad, it's just that they are only good at a certain point in your life.
>>7783055
This, and it's funny to consider that when scrolling through the prose/poem critique threads here. Most of the posts display a style very similar to his.
>>7783066
I loved those three as well and Burroughs in high school. The only one I'd still vouch for is Bukowski and maaaaybe Burroughs' essays.
>>7782948
part of the "dark side" of late 20th century American letters; would make a good thesis topic but probably not substantial enough for a monographic dissertation without a lot of historicizing
kinda funny.
im in my mid teens and i already see vonnegut as shitty. beat stuff is pretty great, and bukowski is too.
i guess ill ebrace this phase and wait till it passes.
is he worth reading for non-americans?
>>7783197
Ehh sure, if you want to see the world through the eyes of an unskilled, alcoholic laborer living in southern California.
Start with his stories, his novels and poems may put you off on first read because they don't balance the smut and existentialism as well.
>>7782948
he is me favourite writer
sucks. Drinking and fucking are great topics to write about because they're universal, but he just writes about drinking and fucking without anything else. I get the whole "that's the point" but it doesn't do it for me.
I think he works best as a confessional writer. He was a boozehound who liked hookers and relished the working class. I think the big problem with Bukowski is that people keep trying to include him in some form of "canon" which is decidedly the opposite of where he'd want to be.
He's an everyman, writing for the everyman. People keep lambasting him for being so base and so rudimentary, but that's ultimately a part of his charm. Obviously if you compare him to any member of the "established Western canon" he pales in comparison, but the man could turn a phrase in his own way.
>>7783006
hahahaha he thinks disliking bukowski is reddit! holy shit pal, get back to that ol reddit
>>7783302
Look I'm sorry you feel this way, I'm sure your very frustrated you can't "downvote" things here. Why don't you return to /r/books and let the adults talk, okay champ.
>>7783196
>im in my mid teens
Holy shit, fuck off.
>>7783533
>Bukowski is literally rêddit: the author
>who is vonnegut
>>7783533
Thats funny, but adults are talking here. Why don't you go back to your Harry Potter, or John Green, thats what you plebs read right?
>>7783552
you can tell this guy started with the greeks.
>>7783552
Really trying hard to make yourself look like your not from reddit aren't you?
>>7783567
>Implying I'm OP
>Implying I go to that shit heap that is /v/
Ok reddit, time to calm down. Are you projecting or something, someone say game of thrones suck to you or something?
>>7783613
You do realize you need to be 18 to post here right?
This is for you. Follow this and you will be home with the rest of the plebs.
https://www.reddit.com/
>>7783620
We can keep doing this as long as it takes until you return to reddit.
>>7783647
There you go kiddo.
https://www.reddit.com/
>>7783659
>u reddit
>no u reddit
kek
>>7783676
>sure he would enjoy jerking over The Martian for the umpteenth time.
Don't forget to add Bukowski to the list.
>>7783681
There he goes again, trying to assert his reddit opinions here. When will this pleb stop?
time to settle in, long ways to go until the bump limit.
My brother is shilling for him, should I read Post Office?
>>7783695
My word you are new here, though I guess in a way I have to congratulate you for sticking it out this long being so far from reddit.
Here you go
http://reddit.com
>>7783703
your brother must be a redditor
>>7783729
Here you go
http://reddit.com
>>7783755
Here you go
http://reddit.com
>>7782948
I prefer Fante. Bukowski's poems are great though if you ignore all his later stuff and read only his earliest books.
>>7783790
I'll agree. I think his poetry is much more effective than his prose.
First thing i read was ham on rye. Which was often funny, often miserable and always easy to read. Then i read post office which i thought was fantastic, definitely a bit Less depressing than ham on rye. Then i read factotum which was also good.
Those 3 and his short stories are what id recomend.
Women was a bit of a drag seeing as it was mostly centred around various women he fucked.
Hollywood was my least favourite. He felt like he'd been neutred at that point. Never read pulp or much of his poetry.
I think he appeals to nihilistic young men seeing as he, or henry chinaski anyways, seems to hate everyone and not see much point in anything, but it is fun to read. Post office is my favourite. I love how funny he makes the most mundaine jobs sound.
To the guy telling everyone to go to reddit, why do you hate bukowski so much, did he fuck ur mom, did he shoot ur dog?!
I never cared for his poetry. They have the Everyman attempting quality that his novels have, but it's a lot less charming.
Post Office was my favorite. Ham on Rye was also good. Women was great when I read it years ago, but I was in a vastly different mindset. Ignore the try-hard pseudointellectuals on this board. They just want to wave their dicks around. Enjoy Bukowski for what he was instead of penalizing him for what he wasn't.
>>7784694
>Ignore the try-hard pseudointellectuals on this board
Typical redditpleb, can't comprehend how people can have good taste.
>>7784133
Here you go
www.reddit.com
>>7783252
>I think the big problem with Bukowski is that people keep trying to include him in some form of "canon" which is decidedly the opposite of where he'd want to be.
>He's an everyman, writing for the everyman
Do you realize how fucking stupid you are?
