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Charles Bukowski was one of the great literary icons of American literature in the 20th century. Born Heinrich Karl Bukowski in Andernach, Germany, he moved with his parents to the United States when he was only a child. The young Bukowski very soon had to learn from the painful hardships and depressive ordeals of life. A severe case of acne in his teens turned him unattractive to girls, and the shy and introverted Bukowski, as a result, became even more closed to himself. Already in his youth, he relied on alcohol, in order to anesthetize chronic social rejection, and the general pains of existence. Having very early manifested his literary tendencies, Bukowski’s father was an abusive, aggressive and authoritarian figure, that would tear up his manuscripts, and do everything possible to keep his son away from writing. This terrible treatment in the part of his father would leave deep scars and lasting marks on the young Bukowski, and would play a vital role in the formation of his cynic, sarcastic, pessimistic and disillusioned view towards life.
Bukowski was able to sell relatively early his first short story to a magazine – he was only twenty four years old –, and managed to sell a few more in the following years, but the difficulties in the literary business soon exasperated the young Bukowski, that grew severely disillusioned on his dream to become a writer, and for almost a decade, he ceased to write. In order to maintain himself, he worked in all kinds of odd jobs, and this period of his life is well described – although in fictionalized versions – in autobiographical novels, such as Factotum (which is a Latin word that literally means “Do Everything”, in reference to a worker that literally do all kinds of jobs) and Ham on Rye, which covers a long period of his life, from infancy to adulthood.
Bukowski was able to sell relatively early his first short story to a magazine – he was only twenty four years old –, and managed to sell a few more in the following years, but the difficulties in the literary business soon exasperated the young Bukowski, that grew severely disillusioned on his dream to become a writer, and for almost a decade, he ceased to write. In order to maintain himself, he worked in all kinds of odd jobs, and this period of his life is well described – although in fictionalized versions – in autobiographical novels, such as Factotum (which is a Latin word that literally means “Do Everything”, in reference to a worker that literally do all kinds of jobs) and Ham on Rye, which covers a long period of his life, from infancy to adulthood.
Although he continued writing, and publishing in independent newspapers and magazines, Bukowski’s achievements through this point were mediocre ones, and his literary endeavors seemed to go nowhere, to his constant and ongoing frustration. Although it took some time, in 1969, when he was forty nine years old, all was about to change, when a small publisher offered him the possibility to quit his job – which was in a Post Office agency – and become a full time writer. Already exasperated with his work, he accepted the offer, resigned his job, and very soon, published his first novel, titled Post Office, which, like many of his works, was extremely autobiographical. And you could certainly say that a literary legend was born.
Barfly, a 1987 movie starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, was written by Bukowski, as a work commissioned by renowned film director Barbet Schroeder. Though they had minor disagreements – Bukowski wanted his friend Sean Penn to star in the main role, and Sean Penn by his turn wanted the film to be directed by Dennis Hopper, although Bukowski wouldn’t deliver to Hopper a script that was solicited by another director – the movie came along well. Semi-autobiographical in tone, Barfly shows the ups and downs of Henry Chinaski – the alter ego of Bukowski in his fiction works – in an almost permanent alcoholic stupor, wandering endlessly through the underground decadent bars of L.A, not knowing precisely what directions to follow in life. Bukowski made a cameo appearance in the film. Sean Penn and Bukowski remained very close friends, until Bukowski’s death in 1994.
From the early seventies, until his death, in March 9, 1994, aged seventy three, Bukowski was a full time writer, that has written hundreds of poems and short stories, as well as dozens of articles, columns and non-fiction pieces for underground newspapers and magazines. Most of his work published in periodicals was eventually collected, and printed in book form. Nevertheless, today he is best remembered for his six novels, that went to be his most successful literary achievements: Post Office, Factotum, Women, Ham on Rye, Hollywood and Pulp. He also worked occasionally as a film scriptwriter.
His main literary themes were mundane ones: alcohol, sex, his complicate relationships with women, the ups and downs of life in L.A, the act of writing, trying to break into the literary business and, in later life, dealing with fame and notoriety. He is frequently cited as the poet and philosopher of the marginalized, poor, neglected and forgotten ones, probably because he was all those things, before the world was able to acknowledge him as a talented, proficient and versatile writer.
Wagner
Barfly, a 1987 movie starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, was written by Bukowski, as a work commissioned by renowned film director Barbet Schroeder. Though they had minor disagreements – Bukowski wanted his friend Sean Penn to star in the main role, and Sean Penn by his turn wanted the film to be directed by Dennis Hopper, although Bukowski wouldn’t deliver to Hopper a script that was solicited by another director – the movie came along well. Semi-autobiographical in tone, Barfly shows the ups and downs of Henry Chinaski – the alter ego of Bukowski in his fiction works – in an almost permanent alcoholic stupor, wandering endlessly through the underground decadent bars of L.A, not knowing precisely what directions to follow in life. Bukowski made a cameo appearance in the film. Sean Penn and Bukowski remained very close friends, until Bukowski’s death in 1994.
From the early seventies, until his death, in March 9, 1994, aged seventy three, Bukowski was a full time writer, that has written hundreds of poems and short stories, as well as dozens of articles, columns and non-fiction pieces for underground newspapers and magazines. Most of his work published in periodicals was eventually collected, and printed in book form. Nevertheless, today he is best remembered for his six novels, that went to be his most successful literary achievements: Post Office, Factotum, Women, Ham on Rye, Hollywood and Pulp. He also worked occasionally as a film scriptwriter.
His main literary themes were mundane ones: alcohol, sex, his complicate relationships with women, the ups and downs of life in L.A, the act of writing, trying to break into the literary business and, in later life, dealing with fame and notoriety. He is frequently cited as the poet and philosopher of the marginalized, poor, neglected and forgotten ones, probably because he was all those things, before the world was able to acknowledge him as a talented, proficient and versatile writer.
Wagner
