Is Buk your favorite writer? (1 Viewer)

Obviously everyone here is a huge fan of Buk's, but do you consider him your favorite writer? How about just poet? Short story writer? Novelist?

If not, who are your favorites?

I definitely consider him to be my favorite poet.

For short stories my holy trinity, so to speak, would be Hemingway, Carver, and Buk. I'm not even sure if I can pick a favorite out of them, though I think Carver had a bigger impact on me when I first got into him. The sparsity and intensity of his prose hooked me from the beginning. Buk, to his credit, never fails to entertain. I've got South of No North and Hot Water Music, and when I got them I tore through them in a days time. He is the master of being both hilarious and intense, sometimes both at the same time.

I don't think I could pick a favorite novelist. I have, however, enjoyed every Buk novel I've read(all of them except Factotum). I don't think I would pick a Buk novel as my *favorite* novel, but I also can't think of any other writers at the moment who have the same batting average as Buk in my eyes. I love a lot of Hemingway's novels, but he also had a lot of not so good ones.

This might be a weird/silly thread, and if it is I do apologize. Just trying to get some discussion going.
 
Don't know if I can say he's my favorite writer per se. I haven't read any of his novels yet. He's one of my favorite poets, though. Right up there with Frost, Cummings, Kerouac, and Nash.
 
He's my favorite poet. The only poet that even comes close is Paul Dunbar. And I don't even like him as much as I used to.

Favorite novelist is John Fante, favorite short story writer? Probably Faulkner. Can't stand his longer fiction because I can't focus enough to finish one of 'em... But Bukowski is definitely up there.
 
Yes, for great periods of time he is my favorite...but the hunt is such an exciting thing. Finding a new "favorite" is a wonderful sensation. Then THAT writer wears you out...anyone can wear you out, you move on. But Buk is one of the few that I look forward to coming back-to again and again, like home...I look forward to finding something of his I havent read.

Its not the case that you're the same as you were yesterday - so why should you like the same things. I've even ended up liking things I SWORE I would never like (Vladmir Nabokov).
 
I've read all of his novels and he is most assuredly my favorite writer. I may be a bit isolated in that I am a novice in his poetry and have just begun reading something other than his prose. No one turned me on to Bukowski...I just stumbled upon him one day at my local bookstore and researched him myself. It seems the consensus that he is a more popular (or highly-regarded) poet than prose writer, so I am excited and raring to get two books of his poetry that I just ordered yesterday. (Recommended to me by people on this board.)

I look forward to discussing his poetry in the future.
 
You and I must be polar opposites in how we came to know Bukowski. I've been reading his poetry since about 2000, I think. Never got the gumption to pick up a novel of his till I came here. Once I finish "Factotum" I will be posting about that.
 
You'll find a lot of "polar opposites" here. Most people started out with the novels and short stories, including myself...
 
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I've tripped over Bukowski to be honest...

I've read Kerouac (whom i would consider my favourite writer) for nigh on 7 years at this stage....from here i went onto Burroughs, Ginsberg, the whole beat generation thing...

I'm not sure, but i get a sense of anti-'beat-generation' type feelings going around here...which is fine...but i basically fell into Bukowski through those guys...

I'm currently reading the end of "Women", halfway through "Naked Lunch" and Kerouacs "Visions of Cody"...

but Buk is definitely up there...
 
He's definitely my favorite writer. No one can make me laugh like Bukowski. When I feel like shit I can pick up any book and read it and feel better - possibly because he had it worse than I have.

But beyond that I appreciate his style.
 
He is definitely one of my favorite writers and a definite influence.

Poems: Probably all of us who write poetry can tell when we've been reading Buk ... the poems of course are not like his (unless they suck, because nothing is worse than imitation Bukowski), but the influence is definitely there. My other favorite poet is W.S. Merwin, completely different style and feeling, but he's incredible as far as making you feel a mood, a time, an emotion. I can also see it in my writing when I've been reading Merwin.

Fiction: Bukowski is probably my favorite hands-down when it comes to novels. Short stories? Bukowski is right up there. But definitely one of the greatest influences on my own prose is Harlan Ellison. In his short story collections, he would usually preface each story with an introduction. They were so remarkably catchy and conversational and interesting ... and they deeply affected my style. Other faves are Ray Bradbury, Ellison's pal Robert Silverberg and a few others considered science fiction writers.

Oh, and I haven't read him in years, but Hemingway's short fiction is some of the best writing anywhere, period. A Clean, Well-lighted Place shines like the Star of Bethlehem over the world of short fiction.
 
As for short stories, I really dig Buk. But I must tip my cap to Edgar Allan Poe, as I think he is by far the greatest short story writer ever to have existed (IMO); and may never be surpassed. Buk is my number one scriber, but EAP was a sound poet, amazing short story writer; but his one novel, well, sucked.
 
He is becoming one of my favorites. I'm reading my first book of his. I also love Vonnegut, Burroughs, and Burgess.

You are well on your way, my son.

Poems: Yes. Though I take a bit from all of them. There's Gins, mais de course. There's Frost, where I get a very powerful quote from: "...And if an epitaph be my story, I'd have a short one ready for my own: I had a lover's quarrell with the world." And there's many others from all over, really.

Prose: Probably. Short stories, yes, hands down, all the way. But novels... I do love the novels, I do. But what I tend to do with anything that I love so dearly is either:
a) listen to it over and over until I get sick of it
b) read it over and over until I get sick of it
c) spend time with it everyday until love grows even more (For Ras<3)

I think Buk is a brilliant writer, and never ceases to make me laugh out loud and sometimes cry. Though sometimes I hunger for something different, different words in a different way but with the same... demeanor? Yes. For example... guy I know today had a copy of Catcher in the Rye out, I picked it up and read just the first page and my mind felt refreshed and renewed.

But of course, I also have other favorite authors. ;)
 
hamsun's "hunger" gave me some thing to chew on if it wasn't for buke writin' 'bout him never woulda knowed ta look for the guy

along with engaging entertainment a great author tends to make new horizons available to the reader least that's how i see it

as for him being my favorite i wouldn't kick him outta bed [ he did write something that would keep me from turning my back to him while in bed, though ]
 
Buk was certainly my favourite writer when I was in my 20's. At one point he was all I read; no one else came even close.
But then I didn't read him for years.

I don't think I have a favourite writer as such, but Buk would be definitely included in the top 5 without hesitation. The writer I have been most interested in in recent times is Haruki Murakami.

I like writers who write simply and powerfully, so I also like Raymond Carver, papa Hem, and the Fante(s), etc. Brautigan comes to mind, too.
 
Not the favourite one (I've got too eclectic tastes to have a favourite writer), but the one who opened my eyes. In other words, the one to whom I owe so much.

I wonder how far I would have gone in my attempt to meet him if he had been still alive !
 
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But who talked of stalking him ? I would have never intended to stalk poor old Hank, I'm not a naughty girl !
 
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What about Celine? Buk many times mentioned him as a 'true novelist'. For me 'Journey to the End of the Night' is the best book that I've ever read. It's just an opus magnum. He would be my favourite writer if I wouldn't read his others writings like Mea Culpa (pamflets), Death on credit and Nord.

I haven't any really authentic favourits in music, books etc. I so empty...
 
Buk is my favorite writer ! 2. Knut Hamsun , an open discussion of his books here last time in Germany ! 3. Jan Cremer (Netherlands) and his paintings are very good , too .
 
It's kinda hard for me to tell anyone if I have a favorite writer. There are endless amounts of books left for me to read and to be honest, I don't think I'll ever have ONE favorite author.

Without a doubt, Bukowski touched and marked my existence and I consider him one of the best authors I have ever had the honour to read, but hell! I'm only 18, and it's overwhelming the amount of books and writers I have left to discover.

Right now I'm starting to read Lowry's classic "Under the Volcano", but I don't really know where to continue after that. Any suggestions?
 

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