Finally another brick in the wall. (1 Viewer)

[Tom23]

Hello there !
I've been coming around here and reading some posts for quite some time now, never actually having the courage to sign up and participate. But I've finally changed my mind, and so here am I, turning into one more brick for this I-hope-never-to-be-demolished Bukowski wall.

So here are some useless infos for you : my name is Tom, and I'm French. That's right, French. But I don't eat frogs or anything, and I shower everyday. Also, pardon my poor English that might bother some of you. I'm quite fond of books, Bukowski being one of my favorite authors and Pulp my favorite book, and I'm really really looking forward to share anything with anyone. And most importantly, I do hope that I will, at some point, be able to contribute to this great website, in whatever way I can !

 

[bospress.net]

Frog Legs are yummy and your English sounds better than your average American; Quite nice, actually.

Welcome to the forum,

Bill

 

[PhillyDave]

Welcome aboard.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Just don't share any of your poetry and you'll be fine.

Welcome!

 

[5:28am]

And most importantly, I do hope that I will, at some point, be able to contribute to this great website, in whatever way I can !

You have succeeded!

 

[Tom23]

Wow ! The least I can say is that I wasn't expecting to make such an entrance ! Thank you for your kind words everybody !
Mr Mahone, should I avoid to share my own poetry or French poetry in general ? ;)
Anyway instead of just opening a new thread for something that must have been said already, I'd like to ask you all a quick question. I was rereading Hot Water Music just a couple of days ago, and I think that it might not be as "polished" if I might say as South of No North. I mean, it is good no doubt about that, but there's something slightly different that I can't seem to be able to put my finger on. Just a question of taste maybe but still ... So after all that nonsense here comes my question, what do you consider to be Bukowski's finest work, as far as short stories are concerned ?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Mr Mahone, should I avoid to share my own poetry or French poetry in general ?

The only trouble I’ve ever seen the members from France get into is when they start to “share” their beautiful insights by posting links to their poetry.

But this is by no means limited to members from France. Lots of people join here just to promote their “art.”

If you do that, you’ll get kicked out faster than a $25 hooker at the Ritz Carlton bar.

But you’re already asking good questions, so you’ll be OK. Just don’t be surprised if you get pointed to another thread on the subject.

 

[skiroomalum]

I lived in Paris as a twenty-something dumbfuck. I always liked Prevert's work. His book Paroles was a favorite
for a long time. Good prosaic poems and no pretension. And don't listen to Pogue, we would love to read your
work, especially the more delicate and sensitive odes.

 

[Tom23]

Oh did you ? I guess Paris is a nice city to live in when you're a foreigner. I personally loathe those condescendant sumb*tches and their city but this is another story ... I do love Paroles though. Prévert, Verlaine or even Cocteau are mostly what we discover first when we meet poetry in schools you know, I guess I'll always have a special feeling for those authors. Rimbaud too, but for different reason. If you can read French, you should try some Gérard Titus-carmel - I don't think he has been brought to English - who is a paintor/poet and his work is quite interesting.

The only trouble I’ve ever seen the members from France get into is when they start to “share” their beautiful insights by posting links to their poetry.

Ahahah this sounds interesting to say the least !

 

[Skygazer]

Wow Tom23, are you even allowed to say that you don't like Parisians, or their city as a frenchman? won't you be forced at dawn to sing La Marseillaise 20 times for treason! Plus it is a beautiful city and I am still to scared to go up the Eiffel Tower to see it all laid out.

 

[Bruno Dante]

Hank Solo once chased Grace Jones all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower don't you know. Also, do frogs legs really taste of chicken?
And good to hear from you, Tom. Pulp is a controversial choice as well.

 

[Skygazer]

Wait a minute...
Our lovely Hank Solo???

 

[Tom23]

Wow Tom23, are you even allowed to say that you don't like Parisians, or their city as a frenchman? won't you be forced at dawn to sing La Marseillaise
20 times for treason! Plus it is a beautiful city and I am still to scared to go up the Eiffel Tower to see it all laid out.

Oh trust me I'm often referred to as a jerk when I speak my mind about Paris, and I got my share of criticism because of it. I don't want to ramble on and on about that (it could be quite long and boring) it's just that since I was born and raised in the south I tend to be "de mauvaise foi" - I don't know if you guys translate that into bad faith or not. Parisians tend to think that everything below Paris is just campaign you see ? I personally would like to think that I am as civilized as them ahahah. Anyway, I've always prefered London to Paris, I don't know why though.

And good to hear from you, Tom. Pulp is a controversial choice as well.

You mean controversial because of how people received it and whether or not it was a good work or not ? On a totally different note, I've read Pulp both is English and French, and I actually think that it is the finest translation of any of Bukowski's books.

 

[Bruno Dante]

I just mean controversial in terms of it being the best Bukowski novel (or your favourite anyway). The opinions on here seem to go from it being a bit rubbish to it being good (I like it, as it happens) but I don't think many would have it as his best novel. I think it's probably the weakest of his although it's still an entertaining read. I just sort of got the feeling he was experimenting with the crime / hard-boiled private eye genre but wasn't sure where to take it. I like some of the more surreal aspects which are more akin to what you would find in some of his short stories.

 

[Tom23]

Well that's very interesting. It is my favorite, but I don't really know if I could say that I consider it to be the best of his work. What I dug about Pulp when I first read it was that it was completely different from the previous ones, but at the same time you could sense the continuity. I personally think that if he hadn't written Pulp, he would have written something similar, except for the roman-noir style. I just sort of feel that everything that belongs to his style is pushed even more further, you know ? Humour, punchlines and all that, I really really feel that it's more hum prominent (is that correct?) in Pulp.
Also, I don't know if one could consider it as the weakest of all. I'm still pondering on the "dedicated to bad writing", and at times I'm thinking that maybe just maybe it was just Bukowski toying you know, and writing whatever he was feeling like. I don't really know, and this sentence has left me skeptical for years !
Pardon my nonsense, I have this habit of writing as I think, so it can be pretty messy at times ! But at least it's kinda honest, right ?

 

[Bruno Dante]

Wait a minute...
Our lovely Hank Solo???

Have you seen View to a Kill? ;)

Pardon my nonsense, I have this habit of writing as I think, so it can be pretty messy at times ! But at least it's kinda honest, right ?

Hey, don't worry, the nonsense is the only thing keeping me going. And we're all here because we love Bukowski and we love chatting with like-minded souls.

 

[Tom23]

Amen.