Bukowski hates speeches (1 Viewer)

[GDPR 9650]

Hi, it's been a while since I've been here. Not that you care.

I'm getting deeper into Albert Camus' work and being a Bukowski fan I'd like to know what he thought of him. Now, I've read things Buk said about Camus, many of those things I founded here, like: He seems to have a distaste of Camus' academic/Nobel prize speech(es). I wonder why that is?

My favorite writers do not share an academic prestige, that is one of the reasons I like them and their works but, I'd love to see Bukowski's take on the matter. Could anyone point out where I can find it? If I can find it...

 

[Purple Stickpin]

I think Bukowski had a certain respect for Camus. Certainly there's a big difference between academic poetry and academic essays and I get the sense that Buk well understood that. He wrote a poem involving Camus, which you can find here (don't bother reading the version in The People Look Like Flowers at Last). There's some commentary on the Academy speeches which isn't overtly negative nor positive.

He also wrote a short story about a Professor/teacher who describes Camus as a fairly good writer (the character, Larry, is obviously an alter-ego of Buk). It's simply entitled Camus and is in Septuagenarian Stew. I know there are occasional references to Camus in his other poems and since I have an interest in Camus, I carefully noted how Buk mentioned him and I got the sense that there was respect despite his rather dry and academic approach to literature.

 

[PhillyDave]

I agree and think that's a pretty good assessment of Buk's take/like/interest in Camus.

 

[David]

This is from Notes of a Dirty Old Man. I'm not able to check now other references now but you also might try the Letters.