Bukowski. More Beat Than The Beats? (1 Viewer)

[Zoroaster]

http://brucebond007.blogspot.com/2011/07/bukowski-more-beat-than-beats.html

[Editor's note: The above is a link to an essay written by the poster, Zoroaster. He is apparently too shy or humble to come out and say, "Hi. Read this thing I wrote." Enigmatic? Yes, he is that. A man of mystery in an age of no secrets. It's quite marvelous witness. Marvelous and ultimately terrifying. Carry on.]

 

[David]

I enjoyed your essay. Lots of interesting points and I am with you about Roth, Bellow and Bowles. Did you know that in his essay "Dirty Old Man Confesses", Bukowski wrote: "I was anti-war in a time of pro-war. I couldn't tell a good war from a bad one--I still can't. I was a hippie when there weren't any hippies; I was a beat before the beats. I was a protest march, alone." You quote Bukowski saying "I like bombs. I like war"? Where is this from? Just wondering, since you need to be careful about taking Bukowski straight.

 

[Gin Soaked Boy]

"I like bombs. I like war", isn't that more of a metaphorical statement than an actual endorsement of war?

 

[Zoroaster]

http://brucebond007.blogspot.com/2011/07/bukowski-more-beat-than-beats.html

[Editor's note: The above is a link to an essay written by the poster, Zoroaster. He is apparently too shy or humble to come out and say, "Hi. Read this thing I wrote." Enigmatic? Yes, he is that. A man of mystery in an age of no secrets. It's quite marvelous witness. Marvelous and ultimately terrifying. Carry on.]

My apologies Sir! 'Hi. Read this thing I wrote!' But for now, I must fade into the enigmatic ether....

"I like bombs. I like war", isn't that more of a metaphorical statement than an actual endorsement of war?

No. I don't think it was an endorsement of war. I don't feel Bukowski would have 'endorsed' anything. But he did revel in saying anything to give the accepted mores of society a slap in the face. Which is one of the reasons I like him so much...

I enjoyed your essay. Lots of interesting points and I am with you about Roth, Bellow and Bowles. Did you know that in his essay "Dirty Old Man Confesses", Bukowski wrote: "I was anti-war in a time of pro-war. I couldn't tell a good war from a bad one--I still can't. I was a hippie when there weren't any hippies; I was a beat before the beats. I was a protest march, alone." You quote Bukowski saying "I like bombs. I like war"? Where is this from? Just wondering, since you need to be careful about taking Bukowski straight.

Thanks David - you know, I just wrote this from my memories of reading Bukowski so can't exactly recall where he said that - I'll do a search and try and find it. If I recall he was sitting in a room, getting drunk and listening to Mahler - but that hardly narrows it down! I hope my memory hasn't let me down. Either way, I always take Bukowski with a grain of salt. Like me, I don't think he was one to let truth get in the way of a good lie...I really like Bowles. I hardly ever run into anyone who reads Bowles and I don't know why.