Charles Bukowski

Description

In this new interpretation of the life and work of the American poet, short-story writer and novelist "Charles Bukowski", David Stephen Calonne examines Bukowski's writings, colourful life and the desperate conditions of his lifestyle, looking at the literary traditions that influenced him and discussing his unique place in world literature. Bukowski was born in Germany and raised in the United States, a schism that Calonne shows to be crucial in the writer's development. From the influence of Germany's literary and intellectual traditions to the writer's traumatic childhood, this book explores the effect the writer's hybrid identity had on the themes and content of his work. Exploring several unknown works of fiction and poetry created in the early years of his career, the many volumes of poetry published with Black Sparrow Press, major works of fiction like "Post Office" and "Factotum", as well as feature films such as the Mickey Rourke-starring "Barfly", Calonne catalogues and dissects the many versions of Bukowski created by the writer and his followers. A concise yet comprehensive new account, "Charles Bukowski" will interest the wide audience already familiar with this prolific, influential figure, as well as being an invaluable introduction to those new to Bukowski's work and who wish to know more.

David Stephen Calonne is the author of William Saroyan: My Real Work is Being and Bebop Buddhist Ecstasy: Saroyan's Influence on Kerouac and the Beats. He has edited several Bukowski titles, including Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook (2008), Absence of the Hero (2010) and More Notes of A Dirty Old Man (2011).

"David Stephen Calonne is a Bukowski scholar and this highly readable account informs and entertains without ever condescending . . . this is a very readable summary of his career and Calonne does not shy away from discussing Bukowski's 'self-mythologising.'"-- "Daily Telegraph" "Charles Bukowski by David Calonne is not just the best book on Charles Bukowski's writing, it is the ONLY one."-- "John Martin, founder of The Black Sparrow Press"