A Bukowski-Ferlinghetti correspondence (?) (1 Viewer)

[Johannes]

Coming to think of it, there must/should be a Bukowski-Ferlinghetti correspondence, concerning City Lights B.'s "second American publisher", publishing major works like "Notes" and "Erections" and setting up the reading(s) in the 70's.

At least some kind of correspondence.

If so, probably Ferlinghetti himself still owns it, or what do you think?

 

[cirerita]

I have a few B/F letters here, some of them are from 1966, well before the first City Lights book came into life. But they're quite business-like, if you ask me.

You know, there was this Neil Young show -I know, I know- where someone from the audience shouted: "They all sound the same", and Young replied: "It's all one song."

When asked about his favorite poem, B. used to say: "I don't have a favorite. It's all one poem" or something like that.

Yep, you guessed it: It's All One Binder...

 

[Johannes]

I originally wanted to write: "If so, probably Ferlinghetti himself still owns it, or do you think it is already in cireritas binders?" :) ... but then didn't, for no reason at all.

But they're quite business-like, if you ask me.

Yeah, I wonder about that. In the afterword to "Screams from the Balcony" we read: "Bukowski's letters have an unusual immediacy, compared to those of other noteworthy literary correspndents [...] Bukowski seems, with trusted correspondents, to pour himself forth with little forethought or purpose other than to render his immediate experience. Only a small minority of surviving letters have a mainly conventional kind of purpose - answering or posing questions, conducting literary business. More often, even when the letter accompanies submissions of poems or other writing, there is a full outpouring of the self in its present situation, generally incorporating notations of the immediate mundane circumstances: people passing or working outside, activities in the apartment, toothache, hangover, radio sounds, etc." (p. 355)

So, maybe Ferlinghetti wasn't a "trusted correspondent"? I also remember B. dumping Ferlinghetti somewhere in the letters, something about his novel "Her" being very bad and about being busted (for obscenity?) and therefore suddenly known to the public.

 

[nymark]

I have a letter from Bukowski to Martin written around December 15 or 16, 1970 that concludes:

"P.S. -- No word from Ferlinghetti. He thinks I'm a prick. Ah, well..."

Draw your own conclusions about how that came about.

 

[CarversDog]

Ferlinghetti did not think highly of Bukowski but recognized his worth as a commodity.

 

[Johannes]

So you mean he didn't think highly of him as a person? Or as a writer?

And what makes you think that? Both is possible, of course, although Ferlinghetti praised B. as a writer "in the tradition of Henry Miller, who really gonna make it big international" ... etc.

 

[CarversDog]

As a person, yes. Not mere conjecture on my part; I spent 12 months hanging out at City Lights Books in San Francisco and became very familiar with the workings and politics of the bookstore and the publishing house.

 

[Johannes]

Ah, I see.

So, with Ferlinghetti not thinking much of B. and B. not thinking much of Ferlinghetti, it probably was a kind of "business-marriage" for both of them.

But, coming back to possible correspondences out there:

How about John Bryan from Open City?

Any ideas anyone? Might there be something?

 

[roni]

Any ideas anyone?

I have an idea, who could be this "anyone" ...
a guy from Spain.

 

[Bukfan]

How about John Bryan from Open City?

That's a possibility! What about Winans? And maybe Buk's neighbors, the Darby's? (slim chance, maybe)