Help needed - Bukowski's writing style (1 Viewer)

[ricky88]

Hi, I'm new here and I'm sure there've been hundreds of posts like this so sorry to bore you, but I've been a fan of Bukowski's writing for a few years so when the oportunity came along to do a 10,000 word dissertation of any subject i didn't hesitate to choose the great man himself. My piece is, after much conversing, focusing on Bukowski's writing style in his novels from the 70's, although not exclusively so.

I am looking for any useful ideas, interviews etc that may benefit me in writing this. I thought I was quite clued up about Bukowski, especially as not many people I know are even aware of him (until i step in and sort them out) but having browsed this site I can see a lot of people will have greater knowledge than me. Some of the things that I'm writing about include the differences and similarities between Bukowski and Chinaski, and also how much of Bukowski's free-flowing style is genuine and how much is carefully constructed to bond with the readers. I am going to dicuss the old "don't try" too so any input you have on that will help.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this regardless of whether or not you can help. Long live the legend.

 

[David]

Any writer and his/her narrators are NOT the same thing. Bukowski's "free-flowing style" is "genuine" (i.e. it is really CB writing those words and they reflect "who he is" in many ways), but they are also the result of very conscious art and craft. His models in terms of prose style were John Fante, William Saroyan, Ernest Hemingway (among American writers). Europeans he loved include Celine, Dostoyevsky, Hamsun. Take a look at the book of interviews Sunlight Here I Am for many of Buk's comments on the issue of how much is "Bukowski" and how much is "Chinaski".

 

[roni]

ricky!

browse around here a little longer.
Many of your possible questions may already be answered somewhere here.
Plus: it's a good, interesting, sometimes funny read.

 

[Bukfan]

And "Don't Try!"...;)