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. Bukowskis first novel, post office, seemed as good a place as any. Lurid, uncompromising and hilarious, post office is a landmark in american literature. Dont try, a phrase which bukowski uses in one of his poems, advising aspiring writers and poets about inspiration and creativity. Charles bukowski s most popular book is post office. Sincere question what is so great about charles bukowski. Post office by charles bukowski seller the book merchant jenkins published 2009 condition new book edition later edition isbn 9780753518168 item price. Its quite admirable how he is able to account for his life without trying to justify his behaviour. Full post office by charles bukowski mobile how read.
A novel, by charles bukowski online on bookmate it began as a mistake. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. What polarizes me from bukowskis work is his use of the word monkey on page 116 of post office. At the top youll find one of bukowskis own readings, the secret of my endurance, a poem that appeared in dangling in the tournefortia 1982. An account of the proceedings can be found in gerald locklins book charles bukowski. A bukowski sampler 1969 the days run away like wild horses over the hills 1969 fire station 1970 post office 1971 mockingbird wish me luck 1972 erections, ejaculations, exhibitions and general tales of ordinary madness 1972 me and your sometimes love poems 1972 while the music played 1973 south of no north 1973. Down below you can hear bukowskis nirvana as read by tom waits, who possesses a voice famously evocative of unforgiving american life, one that perhaps sounds more like that of a bukowski poem than bukowskis own. Racist part in post office charles bukowski american author. 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 mudsoaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the daytoday trials of. Post office, charles bukowski post office is the first novel written by charles bukowski, published in 1971 when he was 50 years old. Post office is bukowskis first novel and sets the style for his later books. Charles bukowski books biography and list of works. Book summary post office by charles bukowski bookchor.
Oct 31, 2011 henry chinaski is a low life loser with a handtomouth existence. Office of postmaster united states post office january 1,1970 memolos angeles, california742 code of ethics the attention of all employees is. Listen to charles bukowski poems being read by bukowski. His menial post office day job supports a life of beer, onenight stands and racetracks. During his lifetime he published more than fortyfive books of poetry and prose including the novels post office 1971, factotum 1975, women 1979 and pulp 1994 all available from virgin books read more. Jul 29, 2014 post office is bukowskis first novel and sets the style for his later books. Post office is a 1971 novel written by charles bukowski.
He talks about his alcoholism, womanizing ways and a litany of other selfdestructive habits that made his ambitionfree life worth living. Post office by charles bukowski, 9780753518168, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Post office and ham on rye act as a kind of gritty, biographical account of two stages of his life, without abashment or tailoring. Buy a cheap copy of post office book by charles bukowski. That question is so weird that i feel compelled to answer it. Charles bukowski booklist charles bukowski message board. After reading the book, i think the positive and negative words. The feeling in those words makes bukowski seem a lot less like chinaski, but its hard to separate the two of them in post office. He decides to get a job at the post office because, as he says, theyll hire anybody and the work seems easy. Henry chinaski is a loner who only wants to drink and be with women. Post office by charles bukowski audiobook duration. Post office, by charles bukowski, is the selfrevelation of henry hank chinaski. Born in 1920, charles bukowski became one of americas bestknown writers. It was christmas season and i learned from the drunk up on the hill, who did the trick every christmas, that they would hire damned near anybody, and so i went and the next thing i knew i had this leather sack on my back and was hiking around at my leisure.
In the authors own unique style, he writes what is a semiautobiographical account based on his own experiences working at mundane jobs with the united states post office. The story follows his experiences at the post office, weaving them together with his accounts of romantic affairs, sexual encounters, drinking, and. Bukowski and the beats followed by an evening at buks place. Bukowski s first novel, published when he was 50 years old, is an autobiographical account of his life, roughly from the years 1952 to 1969. What polarizes me from bukowski s work is his use of the word monkey on page 116 of post office. This was bukowski s first literary effort, or so it seems it is set after the events of factotum, which mentions from time to time bukowski s efforts to get his short fiction placed with a publisher, but in post office theres no real discussion of bukowski s. This classic 1971 novelthe one that catapulted its author to national fameis the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and. Through chinaski, bukowski reveals the loser he once was. Charles bukowski on dying and how to write duration. List alphabetically list chronologically 2 by bukowski 1967 a bukowski sampler 1969 a love poem 1979 a new war 1997 a signature of charles bukowski 1960 a visitor complains of my disenfranchise 1987 absence of the. Henry chinaski is a low life loser with a handtomouth existence. Prime candidate for exclusion and to be relegated to a minor book case in the nether regions of the house. We follow henry chinaski, drifting from woman to woman, and postal service job to unemployment to postal service job againa gutter rollercoaster of a life peppered throughout with alcoholism and dark humor. By middle age, henry chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to.
Charles bukowski has 407 books on goodreads with 1463493 ratings. This study guide consists of approximately 39 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of post office. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read post office. Charles bukowski bibliographical data author charles bukowski title post office date of publishing 1st print 1971 date of publishing my version i recently finished post office from charles bukowski his futile preoccupations when i finished post office charles bukowski is one of americas bestknown contemporary writers of poetry and prose and many would claim its most influential and. It is a semiautobiographical story of henry chinaski, a lowlife loser living a daytoday existence revolving around heavy drinking, gambling at the racetrack and as much sex as he can get. Explore books by charles bukowski with our selection at. Post office charles bukowski paperback harpercollins publishers.
Charles bukowski books biography and list of works author. Down below you can hear bukowski s nirvana as read by tom waits, who possesses a voice famously evocative of unforgiving american life, one that perhaps sounds more like that of a bukowski poem than bukowski s own. Charles bukowski is one of americas bestknown contemporary writers of poetry and prose and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. This book is one that will make you feel no such thing. In the same way that ham on rye can be said to be an autobiographical account of bukowskis. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Post office is the book that put charles bukowski on the map. At the top youll find one of bukowski s own readings, the secret of my endurance, a poem that appeared in dangling in the tournefortia 1982.
Click here to list only major books minus new years greetings, etc. Complete summary of charles bukowski s post office. I loved this book up until the point in which he started saying this shit that pissed me off and made me skip pages till the end. Post office is the first novel written by charles bukowski, published in 1971 when he was 50 years old. Charles bukowski s first novel printed for black sparrow press in january 1971 in an edition limited to 2000 copies in paper wrappers. Lurid, uncompromising and hilarious, post office is a landmark in american literature, and over 1 million copies have been sold worldwide. What i found most remarkable about this short novel 162 pages is how enjoyable the author made me feel about such an apparent. The new edition is augmented with an anecdotal introduction by the modern welsh cultliterary author, niall griffiths a writer who was working in a british post office when he first read bukowski s post office. Charles bukowskis post office 1971 isnt quite in the same league there, but what it does represent is a fine instalment in addiction, and down and out, literature, as well as something genuinely funny to read.
By middle age, henry chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the u. Post office by charles bukowski henry chinaski has only one steady thing in his life. This is presented as a work of fiction and dedicated to nobody. Supposedly written in three weeks, the book is highly personal. A bibliography of charles bukowski, black sparrow press. Racist part in post office charles bukowski american. Box 3993 santa barbara, ca 93105 isbn 0876850867 paper.
A delirious, repetitive, repressed and hostile bureaucratic nightmare, post office is a novel that takes on bukowskis decadeplus chained to the postal system. This was bukowskis first literary effort, or so it seems it is set after the events of factotum, which mentions from time to time bukowskis efforts to get his short fiction placed with a publisher, but in post office theres no real discussion of bukowskis. Dec 20, 20 post office by charles bukowski henry chinaski has only one steady thing in his life. Post office by charles bukowski penguin books australia. Some consider me a black emo, although i dont even know what that means and i think the term is stupid to begin with. The normally jobless, transient henry chinaski attempts to live a normal. I think that people are generally impressed by how raw and authentic bukowskis work is. Henry chinaski is a lowlife loser with a handtomouth existence. He was born in 1920 in andernach, germany, to an american soldier father and a german mother, and brought to the united states at the age of two. Post office didnt hit me with quite the same knockout punch as factotum, but it still carried quite a heft all the same. Post office by charles bukowski, first edition abebooks. Originally published in 1971 the descriptions of working as a post carrier and clerk in post office are intriguing but can sometimes be as repetitive and boring as mail sorting.
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