LickTheStar
Sad Flower in the Sand
Just curious. I've only read the Barry Miles one because it was cheap in HC at Powell's and I liked Miles' Kerouac bio... It read well, but I don't know about accuracy... So lemme know what one(s) you like best.
Best Buk Bio(s)? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LickTheStar
- Start date
LickTheStar
Sad Flower in the Sand
Damn, I saw that one cheap the other day and didn't pick it up... Weak. Well I'll keep an eye out, I'm sure I can find it. Any others?
M
MULLINAX
You might enjoy THE BUK BOOK. Nice pictures, too.
mjp
Founding member
The Buk Book is hardly a biography. If you're hard up for pictures of titties, I'm told they are relatively easy to find on the internet.
After the big books reads the personal memoirs like Locklin's Sure Bet, Richmond's Spinning off Bukowski, and Sherman's Friendship Fame and Bestial Myth. That will keep you busy for a while.
Read Cherkovski's last. It's dull and Bukowski himself described it that way.
After the big books reads the personal memoirs like Locklin's Sure Bet, Richmond's Spinning off Bukowski, and Sherman's Friendship Fame and Bestial Myth. That will keep you busy for a while.
Read Cherkovski's last. It's dull and Bukowski himself described it that way.
M
MULLINAX
And everybody's favourite: VISCERAL BUKOWSKI.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
There's also, "Drinking With Bukowski - Recollections of the poet laureate of skid row", edited by Daniel Weizmann, with lots of contributions from people such as Gerald Locklin, Harold Norse, David Barker, John Bryan, John Thomas, Linda King, FrancEyE, Steve Richmond etc. etc.
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I liked it too. It was an important first step. And I still like it somehow. (it's the only bio available in German language!)
Unfortunately the German ed had no pics :-(( and I wasn't aware until now, that the English had.
It sure is important since it's the only 'real' bio by someone who knew Buk personally. For the personal anecdotes alone it's worth reading. But it has some facts wrong or uncomplete, that Sounes sets straight.
Unfortunately the German ed had no pics :-(( and I wasn't aware until now, that the English had.
It sure is important since it's the only 'real' bio by someone who knew Buk personally. For the personal anecdotes alone it's worth reading. But it has some facts wrong or uncomplete, that Sounes sets straight.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
I agree! It's absolutely worth reading for the reasons you listed.
Roni, do you happen to remember some of those facts that are wrong or incomplete?
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LickTheStar
Sad Flower in the Sand
Thanks fellas... I'll probably track down the Sournes one in a couple weeks... I'd have it already but the bookstore I work at had it written by Howard Sournces... So it took awhile to find since I couldn't remember the actual title. Whoops. Whelp...
Then Buk in Pictures and onward from there. I like these bits of info I glean by posting a thread, posting a response, and then letting the whole thing snowball.
Then Buk in Pictures and onward from there. I like these bits of info I glean by posting a thread, posting a response, and then letting the whole thing snowball.
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
You can probably pick up a nice used copy of either of these titles. There are no royalties paid to authors for resale of titles!
Bill
Bill
chronic
old and in the way
Then you should email Sounes and let him know that you saw it here first and that he can thank the good proprietor of buk.net for boosting his sales.
... this is a nice inside-joke. But, really NO BAD IDEA!
One incomplete that comes to mind immediately is, that Neeli writes, he couldn't find reliable sources for the so called 'Lost years' and that not even Buk would recall all the cities he had been, and not even remembered the right order of those he still recalled. Then Sounes came out and told about Buks record, which has them (not nessecarily complete, but you get the improvement).
It's been a long time since I read both bios and I'd have to have a look again for more. But the general impression still is, that Sounes put more effort into serious research, not only to find but also to proove the 'facts'.
One incomplete that comes to mind immediately is, that Neeli writes, he couldn't find reliable sources for the so called 'Lost years' and that not even Buk would recall all the cities he had been, and not even remembered the right order of those he still recalled. Then Sounes came out and told about Buks record, which has them (not nessecarily complete, but you get the improvement).
It's been a long time since I read both bios and I'd have to have a look again for more. But the general impression still is, that Sounes put more effort into serious research, not only to find but also to proove the 'facts'.
Rekrab
Usually wrong.
The H***** S***** bio is probably the best, if a bit lifeless. He glosses over stuff rather quickly, but the facts are nailed down. I'm waiting for the huge definitive bio. You can skip all those little memoirs by the poets and hangers on who knew him personally, except Richmond's SPINNING OFF BUKOWSKI, which is the best depiction of what Bukowski was actually like that I've come across.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
That's for sure! Although I don't like his attitude towards mjp, it's still the best Buk bio so far...
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Rekrab
Usually wrong.
Ditto. I was a bit harsh this morning when I called his book "lifeless." What I should have said is that he doesn't go deeply enough into things for my tastes. I guess I'm wanting an 800 page bio instead of a 300 pager. But what's there is interesting, seems grounded in fact, and full of surprising new (to me) information. Like, I didn't know it was Jory Sherman that turned Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb on to Bukowski, nor that Sherman accompanied Bukowski to the premier of (was it?) the Taylor Hackford film.
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mjp
Founding member
M
MULLINAX
LICK THE STAR: If you send me your address I'll send you the Cherkovski bio, in hardcover. I have an extra copy and extra stamps, so it's no sweat off my back!
of course so called 'facts' are always only temporary models of reality and may vary or change with time and improvement of knowledge. This goes for the 'hard sciences', so it sure is true for literary research as well. When I use the word 'fact', I always have thie relativity in mind. 'Knowledge' is never forever. (see Galilei, Newton, Einstein, ...)
I just finished a book called "charles Bukowski" by Barry Miles. It's published by Virgin Books. It has a very "lazy" style of writing. It seems that 90% of the book was taken from the Buwkowski's own writings. The other 10% is second hand infromation.
Petey
RIP
Sad but true !
Our book market is full of biographical boring crap from semi VIP`s but no further Buk Bio in sight.
By the way the bio "Hank" by Neeli Cherkovski has no single photo in the german editon included - and the
front cover is just a fucking ridiculous drawing.
R
RichardWagons
Whatever you do, DON'T bother with The Hunchback of East Hollywood. It digresses into the writer's own overwrought purple-prose interpretations of Bukowski and his work-I felt like I was reading an English term paper written by a fawning community college student.
The Sounes bio is probably the best, and a wonderful addendum to that is his Bukowski in Pictures,a fantastic album with some great and little-seen photos. I heartily recommend it.
The Sounes bio is probably the best, and a wonderful addendum to that is his Bukowski in Pictures,a fantastic album with some great and little-seen photos. I heartily recommend it.
Rekrab
Usually wrong.
The H***** S***** bio is pretty good, as far as it goes. Very well researched and documented. Yet, I felt vaguely unsatisfied when I finished it, like he was rushing for the end all the way through the book and didn't slow down enough anywhere to really reveal the heart and soul of the man. Many parts seemed like they were skipping forward. Kind of like when a director makes a good three hour film and the money people tell him he has to cut out a half an hour. The result is jumpy and doesn't jell. That's how the book felt to me. Still, it's a reliable, fact-based peice of work.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
Too late! Unfortunately, I bought it long ago. It was a big disappointment. It does'nt read as a "real" bio at all. "An English term paper..." is a pretty good description!
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Sounes doesn't hold back much at all does he? Excellent bio. The most amazing thing about Buk has got to be the fact that he never avoided any subject, idea or desire in his writing. He didn't cover up the nastier sides of who he was. Almost as if he was able to explore them in writing in an attempt to excise them...or at least understand them.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
very true! He did'nt hide his flaws. He was very honest about who he was. I think that's one of the reasons why we like him so much.
And yes, the Sounes bio is excellent indeed. The best Buk bio so far!
Btw, Sounes'Bukowski In Pictures, is a great companion to the bio...
And yes, the Sounes bio is excellent indeed. The best Buk bio so far!
Btw, Sounes'Bukowski In Pictures, is a great companion to the bio...
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I'll make sure to get it. Thanks!
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Father Luke
Founding member
Here is a pretty good thread about it: Bukowski In Pictures
I looked it over...great pics. I am out of the loop on the inside jokes however. Sounes pissed some people off I gather.
Read the last pages of the Sounes bio last night and felt real pain for his passing.
I must have picked up my first poetry book of his at the very end of his life or soon after his death. Don't remember seeing anything about it in the news at the time, though I didn't pay much attention to the news back then.
Reading Pulp and Last Night of the Earth Poems recently and then the bio over the past few days gave me a much better perspective on his death...from his view, and from the view others. Interesting and sad.
Read the last pages of the Sounes bio last night and felt real pain for his passing.
I must have picked up my first poetry book of his at the very end of his life or soon after his death. Don't remember seeing anything about it in the news at the time, though I didn't pay much attention to the news back then.
Reading Pulp and Last Night of the Earth Poems recently and then the bio over the past few days gave me a much better perspective on his death...from his view, and from the view others. Interesting and sad.
I've re read the Sounes bio. I find it not bad but to call it the best...it depends how do you want to compare this bio to Miles, Cherkovski... I'd say: The less weakest biography so far.
What Rekrab says: "doesn't go deeply enough into things". I agree. I find it a flat book. It has no real soul. Ok, I've never liked "only facts".
But who wants to spend 10 years going into Buk and write a 800 or 1000 or 1500 pages good bio. Nobody, or?
So- in the meantime I'm enjoying the memoires on Buk.
mjp
Founding member
If you put Sounes, Miles, Cherkovski, Brewer, Fox, et al and all the chapbook memoirs by people who knew him into a blender with all the information in this forum, you start to get within pissing distance of a real picture of the man.
But no single book has done it, and I don't think one book could do it. Before reading any biography I would say watch Born Into This. It's a better overall picture without all the tedious dates and places that some of us so love to track, debate and compile. ;)
But no single book has done it, and I don't think one book could do it. Before reading any biography I would say watch Born Into This. It's a better overall picture without all the tedious dates and places that some of us so love to track, debate and compile. ;)
