Bukowski in The Liar? (1 Viewer)

Digney in Burnaby

donkeys live a long time
While looking for a good poem about Bukowski's hatred of receiving unsolicited manuscripts (and I know there were many) I came across this story on Capilano College's poetry journal The Liar having a Bukowski poem.

Story here.

Specific paragraph here:

Volume four was edited by Robert Pacey and Kimberley French. Pacey, now the owner of a Vancouver based graphic design company, had poetry published in the third volume. He took over editing when the previous editors moved on to SFU. The early volumes of the Lair included some well-known writers. For volume four, the editors managed to interview Margaret Atwood and included an excerpt from her novel, "Cat's Eye". The spring 1989 edition contained an original poem by Charles Bukowski. Pacey recalls that, at the time, the Liar was receiving many submissions in Bukowski's style so they thought they "might as well go get him". Pacey sent a letter to the poet, along with $5, writing, "have a beer on me and send me a poem". To his surprise, Bukowski sent him a poem the following week.

The magazine isn't listed in the archive (at least not that I can find). Maybe Cirerita knows something about it. If not, I have a Cap College (now a university) contact.
 
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Info via Abebooks:

The Liar (Volume 5, Spring 1989)​

This issue contain 'The Bully', a 2-page poem by Charles Bukowski.​
 
I wonder if that's a different The Bully than this one. I would assume so, since he didn't typically send a recycled poem to a different mag a couple of years later.
 
My contact at Capilano U. says it's supposed to be in the library so she'll have a look Tuesday. She added:
Unless of course one of those sicko Bukowski fans stole it for God knows what purpose.
 
I spoke with my contact this afternoon. Sounds like it is the same poem as the one in The Last Night of the Earth Poems.

She is going to send me the poem anyway. And then read a "nice" poem.



 
Finally got the poem from my source. Basically the same as the Last Night poem. Except the third last stanza in the book adds:

what's your
problem?"

and the last stanza in the book adds (italics indicating the addition):
ass, no problem
with that
at
all.

I figure Bukowski probably made the changes here as it helps, and doesn't change the meaning of, the poem.
 
Sorry if I'm beating this to death. But yeah two poems. The one in Sifting is about the loading dock, which is probably the one referred to in the letter to the editor of Z, My Bully. And the one in The Liar appears in Last Night. Now if anyone has a copy of ZYZZYVA we're done with bullies for the moment.
 

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