Bukowski's time in St. Louis (1 Viewer)

[jdgunn]

I just read that bukowski spent time living in boarding houses and was in st. louis for some time in 1942. I have access to a place that was used as a rooming house from 1937-1959 whose walls are covered with autographs and graffiti.

I know it is a long shot, but does anyone have any idea what the chances are he stayed at a particular location?

 

[mjp]

There is no correspondence from St. Louis, so it isn't possible to know where he stayed, for how long, or really, whether he was ever there at all. He claimed to have spent time in a lot of cities in his writing, but very few extended stays anywhere other than Los Angeles or Philadelphia have been verified.

You can see all of the known addresses here.

 

[jdgunn]

maybe a better question is this:

If i'm scouring the walls for signatures, autographs, or general graffiti, is there anything in particular I should look for? Did he do any kind of trademark symbols or drawings (Apparently, hobos at that time would each have their own symbol they'd draw along with their signature and date.) Can someone point me to examples of his autograph online?

 

[mjp]

Dood, look around. There are more than 600 signatures here, and if you don't know what his characteristic drawings were, I don't know what to tell you. His signature from 1942 would have been much different than any signature you will find now though.

Anyway, Bukowski was never a bum or a hobo, contrary to what you may have read. If you see his name scrawled on the wall of some hobo flop somewhere, he didn't write it.

 

[bospress.net]

... and he would have no reason to write his name on a wall in a roominghouse.

Bill

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Yeah, you're thinking of The Shawshank Redemtion. If Bukowski was there he was probably too busy eating ribs to write on the wall.

 

[jdgunn]

heh, it was no hobo flop, but a tradition for everyone who stayed there to sign their name. Total longshot, of course, but I'm a betting man. Thanks for pointing me to the signatures (and drawings.) I appreciate the help.

 

[bospress.net]

Yeah, Bukowski may have "slummed" in roominghouses, but never in a hobo flop. This is part of the image that he crafted along with the 10 year drunk...

Bill