My Homage to Bukowski

A Picture of Bukowski

"the trouble with a mask is it never changes"

Here are links to a bunch of my favorite poems by the man himself, a bio about him, and a nice picture for all you to look at. The poems with the green stars are the ones I like most. I typed these poems out as a service to you, to get you acquainted with Bukowski; so if you like what you see go out right now and buy a copy of one of his books. Enjoy!

A Bukowski Bio

Charles Bukowski was born in 1920 in Andernach, Germany. He was brought to the United States at the age of three and grew up (and spent most of his life) in Los Angeles. His first story was published when he was 24, he also had other stuff published around that time, but he didn't publish his first poem until he 35, nearly a ten year lay-off from writing, after he nearly died at a Los Angeles hospital from drinking (although the book Roominghouse Madrigals claims to contain poems from 1946 when Buk would have been 26). Bukowski never quit drinking (the day he almost died the doctors told him, "one more drink and you're dead." When he left the hospital he went around the corner and directly to the nearest bar and had a beer; he didn't die.) and he went on to write numerous volumes of poetry and prose, some of which are still being released posthumously by his wife (in books and in the poetry mags). His work is dominated by many themes of which death is a major one; other themes prevalent throughout his poetry and short stories include: women, drinking, the horses, his typewriter, beer, women, and drinking.
His letters have also been released by Black Sparrow Press in two separate volumes, Screams from the Balcony and Living on Luck. Charles Bukowski died at the age of 73 on March 9, 1994. The world lost a great writer and a very interesting man. I, for one, will miss him, and although I never met him I felt I knew him. I also hope his future books of poetry and short stories will be as remarkable and beloved as his past.

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