Death of Poet Al Masarik (1 Viewer)

[Rekrab]

I saw on facebook yesterday that poet Al Masarik had died recently. He was a big name in the mimeo mags back in the 1960s but seems to be fairly obscure these days. Anyone have any information about this? The cause, circumstances, etc.? Bill Roberts maybe? Bukowski surely was familiar with his work.

 

[bospress.net]

The only contact that I ever had with Al was when he sent me a threatening, nasty email. He misread a post on this forum and thought that I was insulting him. I told him to reread the post and he would see that I was not saying anything that could be in any way be seen as unkind. He did and apologized for being a dick. Never heard from him after that. Seemed like a bit of an ass, but everyone that I know that knew him said that he was a good guy so maybe it was the illness. I heard that he had Alzheimer's, so maybe that was it.

I knew that he was sick for a while with Alzheimer's, but don't know any specifics of the cause of death.

In other sad news, Dave Haselwood, the guy who ran Auerhahn Press in the 1960s died on 12/30. He published an early book by WS Burroughs and puvlished Charley Plymell's first book. His books were really well made letterpress printed chapbooks with great content.

Bill

 

[Digney in Burnaby]

From the 1979 Vagabond (John Bennett) anthology Six Poets (art work by Bukowski).

 

[Rekrab]

Thanks for the info, Bill. I don't think I had any dealings with him, but I may have. I read a lot of his stuff long ago and it was good. I was kind of surprised by how little I found Googling him. Thanks for the drawing, Digney in Burnaby.

 

[David]

Bukowski surely was familiar with his work.

David--yes, Buk wrote intro to Masarik's Invitation to a Dying in November, 1971. See below...

 

[Rekrab]

What a great intro.

 

[roni]

this is not meant to be an additional service to you, but only a cheap show-off:

Here's said introduction plus a German translation as published in the yearbook of the Charles-Bukowski-Society in 2004.