Favorite Bukowski Work?

[jabble]

mine is the poem " A report upon the consumption of myself". Hearing Bukowski read that is sublime.
I'm a panther corked out and bellowing
and so on
on Poems and Insults

 

[puke]

Mine's Torched Out. A poem from one of his later books - maybe War all the Time or the omnibus Run with the Hunted. The style of the poem is very mechanical. Here's a taste:
To get dressed, cigarette dangling
You were feeling somewhat better
Then, you were moving toward the door
This scene is after he comes "roaring out of the tub" because his shackjob was abusing him. He throws a glass of wine against the wall and grabs the bottle from her and "drains damn near half of it."

It's a long poem about the horrors of his postal job and home life. The ending is cryptic but I think it's positive.

 

[afternoon]

I think it is ALL a continuation of the first sentence he wrote and I like the
entire sentence, at no point in the sentence have I yet been bored.

 

[seasofbeer]

I really like the short story "scum grief", where he is talking about seeing the poet Victor Valoff read and he is interpreting the poems for Vicki. The whole thing is really funny.

"Now what's he saying?"
"He's saying he needs a big fat woman to kick the shit out of him."
"Don't be funny. Does he really say that?"
"We both say that."

 

[HenryChinaski]

my absolute all time favorite Bukowski piece...is

The Little Taylor
from Notes of a Dirty Old Man.

words cannot express how much I love this short story. hearing Buk read it and reading it myself gives me such a good feeling inside.

"jack, uh, you mind telling me why you killed these people?"
"I disliked them."
"But you just can't go around killing people you dislike."
"...I disliked them very much."

and the whole bit about him and the other guy mickey washing down the dead bodies and then him finding Mickey fucking one of em.

so great

 

[baldy]

Post Office!
My favorite scene from a Buk book has to be the taxi scene from 'Factotum':

'I took the wheel and ran the cab up to 50 m.p.h.
"You set the record, eh Pops? I'm going to shoot your ass right off the map!"
"What?"
"Blow out the earwax! I'm going to take you, Pops! I once shook hands with Max Baer! I was once gardiner for Tex Ritter! Kiss your ass goodbye!"
"You're ridin' the goddamned brake! Take your foot off the god damned brake!"
"Sing me a song Pops! Sing me your little song! I've got fourty love letters from Mae West in my dufflebag!"
"You can't beat me!"
I didn't wait for the gun. I hit the brakes. I guessed right.
The gun and my foot hit at the same time. I beaty his world record by fifteen feet and nine-tenths of a second. That's what he said at first. Then he changed his tune and said that I had cheated. I said, "O.k., write me up for whatever you want but just get us out of the L.A. river. It's not going to rain, so we won't be able to catch any fish."

Later, back in the classroom:

"Now," said Smithson, "and goddamned you, McBride, wake up and listen to me...... now, when is the only time a man can lose control of his cab and not be able to help it?"
"When I get a hard-on?" said some cracker.
"Mendoza, if you can't drive with a hard-on we can't use you. Some of our best men drive with hard-ons all day long, and all night too"

 

[Olaf]

The poem that I particularly love is - Cruntch-22, as well as, so you want to be a writer? and 'giving thanks'.

I love so much of his writings there are little diamonds peppered throughout everything he ever wrote (not that I have read it all).

I prefer his poetry. It is just so portable. He turns anything into something worthy of observation.

The Words - an offering - of sorts - of conversation!
Of this here now did happen once and continues even now!

Brillant!

 

[HenryChinaski]

He turns anything into something worthy of observation.

I've been looking for a way to say that for some time. This quote should be posted in the What M?kes Bukowski So Unique thread.

 

[d gray]

Brillant!

well said!

 

[ALCIDE]

Definitely my favourite one still is the end of PULP, when the hero dies in full sunlight, engulfed by the damn bird's...raah need to read the book for the fourth time. Anyway it was a couple of years ago, I was a swimming-pool keeper at that time and used to spend nights bathing and drinking. When with the first rays of dawn came the end of the book I basically bursted into tears. But yeah I admit alcohol had turned me oversensitive. Anyway it was the first and last time it happended to me while reading a book.

 

[endorphin]

thanks for giving away the ending.

 

[bright]

..thats all we try to do.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

the tragedy of the leaves
for Jane
Factotum
the piece he wrote about Neal Cassady in Notes of a Dirty Old Man.

 

[SamDusky]

thanks for giving away the ending.

Actually, the ending is more existential than what has been revealed here; its meaning transcends this mere plot item, and I doubt your reading of the book will be hampered by that revelation.

I would not let this certain knowledge deter you from getting the book. It?s not hinged upon the outcome by any means, like a Raymond Chandler novel or the "Da Vinci Code" or the like.

The journey is greater than the destination.

SD