Finished Women last night... (1 Viewer)

Wow, and I thought Factotum was racy. Women made Factotum look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm!

Seriously, for every passage where Chinaski described mounting a woman, there was another passage of absolute poetry. Every chapter was like ugliness and beauty fighting over a cupcake.

Loved it. Now I'm reading The Most Beautiful Woman in Town.
 
I'm happy for your experience and that you got it right! (obviously you did!)
Welcome to a new world!

Didn't really follow your readings of Buk so far, but if you haven't read 'HAM ON RYE' by now:
THIS is something that might KILL you!
 
Didn't really follow your readings of Buk so far, but if you haven't read 'HAM ON RYE' by now:
THIS is something that might KILL you!
Think I'm gonna hold off novels for a while. Too many in a row might put me outta my misery. I'll finish "Most Beautiful Woman..." and then crack open one of the poetry books I just ordered.
 
I highly recommend your tactic. The novels are great, but too few. Save a couple for the months and years to come. The poem is where Buk felt most at home, and there are enough to last for years of new reading.

The poem also sheds some light on some of the more obscure turns that occassionally show up in the novels. But, by all means, get South of No North. It's a must-have; despite the book-ranking.
 
Slimedog, having started with his poetry years ago, I'm more comfortable with that. Though his novels are good, each poem of his is like a gif that plays over and over in my head. They're like youtube on paper.

And don't worry, Purple. I do have South of No North in stock. But I think I'll get to that after some poetry first. Tactics, y'know.:cool:
 
Though his novels are good, each poem of his is like a gif that plays over and over in my head. They're like youtube on paper.

Youtube on paper? - That's funny! :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Slimedog, having started with his poetry years ago, I'm more comfortable with that. Though his novels are good, each poem of his is like a gif that plays over and over in my head. They're like youtube on paper.

And don't worry, Purple. I do have South of No North in stock. But I think I'll get to that after some poetry first. Tactics, y'know.:cool:

Though I love a lot of his poems his short stories and novels are more speed-I have a little trouble with poetry, even Buk's.
 
Sometimes I think slimedog is wired differently than anyone.;)

I am starting Women for the 2nd time. I just read through the women chapter in Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life. I recommend that biography.
 
Just how different is Sounes' bio from Barry Miles'? I mean how is it worth getting? I'm curious, since a lot of people here seem to like it.
 
it simply was the first bio based on serious research. (which doesn't mean, there aren't new things known by now that weren't in it then. It isn't really 'up-to-date' by now! Some people here could do a Very Much better bio right now!)

But:
All bios after that (so far!) didn't really do source-research but based their writing on others, mostly this one.

To give you an idea of the importance:
We don't like Howard Sounes around here much, because he gave this forum some so-called-copyright-fuckyou-problems in the past. (the matter was nothing, really!) - and STILL most here recommend this bio.
 
Both of Sounes' Bukowski books are worth buying. But as Roni says, the Barry Miles book is pretty much useless if you have Sounes (and to a lesser extent Cherkovski's Hank).

Man, I read another one recently - I was going to post about it here - but it was nothing but quotes and excerpts from other books. It got me wondering how you get a publishing deal for a book like that. Something so utterly unnecessary and redundant. Amazing. I'll have to find out who that was...
 
To give you an idea of the importance:
We don't like Howard Sounes around here much, because he gave this forum some so-called-copyright-fuckyou-problems in the past. (the matter was nothing, really!) - and STILL most here recommend this bio.

Absolutely! It's still the best Buk bio out there. If you have'nt read any Buk bio, you should start with this one.
And Sounes'"Bukowski in pictures", is a nice addition to his Buk bio.
I'm too fond of Miles'Buk bio. In my view it's inferior to Sounes', but Cherkovski's Buk bio has some interesting parts.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Man, I read another one recently - I was going to post about it here - but it was nothing but quotes and excerpts from other books. It got me wondering how you get a publishing deal for a book like that. Something so utterly unnecessary and redundant. Amazing. I'll have to find out who that was...

You're right about getting such rubbish published. But what was the book in case I go crazy on Amazon, I don't want to waste my money?

Thanks!
 
So does Sounes "get" Bukowski better than Miles and others? Miles' bio seemed pretty comprehensive. But him not being American, I wonder what pieces of Buk's life may be missing. So I'm assuming then, that Sounes just did better research on Buk's life and times.
 
Absolutely! Sounes did a better bio than Miles, and it's better researched too, I think, It's also a much more interesting bio to read than Miles'.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sounes is the best so far, but there has yet to be a real literary biography. Miles quotes miles of stuff from my interview book Sunlight Here I Am with no commentary and very little original research and with miles and miles of baseless conjecture. I have Miles' William Burroughs biography and it's pretty much the same story. He's a Sixties Guy, but not a literary guy.
 
Well, I have a lot of Buk books to catch up on in the meantime. Perhaps I'll pick up Sounes' bio when I have some open space or if I see it at a good price. I did enjoy Miles' bio. But now that I've read that, it might be fun to see how it compares with Sounes.
 
Hey I just started Women yesterday. I'm enjoying it so far but it's quite different to the previous novels, not that that's a bad thing. Just an observation.

So far it seems more autobiographical then the other works.
 
I guess people on here would recommend Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life then? I've always sort of steered clear of biographies because I like his novels and short stories so much and thought any biographies would be a big disappointment in comparison.
 
I would, like most around here, recommend Howard Sounes biography Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life. He spent a lot of time and money interviewing and researching Bukowski's friends and associates. It is easy to read and covers as much as you would need.
 
Hey I just started Women yesterday. I'm enjoying it so far but it's quite different to the previous novels, not that that's a bad thing. Just an observation.

So far it seems more autobiographical then the other works.

At the very least, Women seems more brutally honest than Factotum. Haven't read Ham on Rye or Post Office yet. In due time.
 
Do that, SkidRow. It's much better than Miles'. Later on, you should get Sounes'other book ("Bukowski In Pictures") too...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hey Zen, I'm over halfway through H S's bio and it is easy reading. It does help to read Women first.
I have 'Locked in the arms....' and I started reading it a while back but I stopped a few chapters in. I thought I should probably get all his novels in me first and be able to go into them free from too much background info. Anyway I'm almost done with 'Woman' now...great so far, but I was wondering since you recommended 'Woman' before the bio, is that because the Sounes book specifically goes into a lot of detail about the history of 'Women'?

The thing is there are a lot more characters in 'Women' than in 'Factotum' or 'Post Office' so it would be interesting to find out who they are. i.e. all the women, writers, musicians etc. I image since he was experiencing a bit of recognition and fame at the time there would be a lot more documentation on the people he was writing about than in his earlier novels.
 
regarding 'Women'

I love Women - some of Buks funniest and definitely most brutal writing - those headlines are comic gold: "HENRY CHINASKI, MINOR POET..."

I've read Women cover to cover probably five times. Something I find is that it has a completely different effect on me each time depending on my state of mind at the time. (Whether I'm hating on men, in a funk, or feeling great.)

It exemplifies Buks realistic writing style, and I believe has some of the most touching moments of his work - I reference the Thanksgiving incident when describing him to new readers as an example of his sensitivity and acknowledgement that he is a jerk.

I love the women. They leave such an impression, even if they appear only for a short time. My favourites include Lily with the flower mouth; Babette owner of the trinket store; and Iris, poor Iris.
 
Just got 'Locked in the Arms...' through the mail. I think I'm going to re-read all the Chinaski novels first though - starting with 'Ham on Rye' once I've finished the book I'm reading at present. Really looking forward to my 'Buk marathon' actually.
 
I'm in the middle of a Buk marathon myself. Started with Factotum and Women. Then moved to Most Beautiful Woman in Town. Now I'm on Dangling in the Tournefortia.

Next will be another volume of poetry before I go on to Portions of a Wine Stained Notebook. After that, more poetry!
 
Hello, I'm new to these boards. I recently bought and finished Factotum, Post Office, and just finished Women today... I'm becoming obsessed. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what short-stories collection/novel I should read next? I was attempting to read them in what seemed to be the correct chronological order but they all seem to skip around, so I've given up on that idea. Also, a collection of poems would be good too, although I'd probably only get one of those at this time.
 
Welcome to the Buk boards!

Since you've read Factotum, Post Office, and Women, I'd guess Ham on Rye is your next mark.

I just finished Most Beautiful Woman in Town, so that's a good one, too.

For poetry? Well, since you already read Women, you might try Love is a Dog From Hell. That's sort of a poetic companion to Women. But you really can't go wrong with any Buk poetry book.

Oh, and since you're new, you might try and introduce yourself in the new blood section. That's the best way to attract the most flies with your honey.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top