Laughter from Hell - Bukowski's letters reviewed (1 Viewer)

[cirerita]

I wrote this back in 2001 in a row -maybe in 2 hours- in Spanish, so this is a translation from the original. Be merciful on me if it sounds a bit un-English.

I know the last sentence is kind of a clich?, but that's how it came and I never felt like changing it for a better one. I'm not a revise-things-twenty-times kind of guy :D

 

[mjp]

Nice. I've always thought a lot of his letters were as interesting - if not more so - than the poems and stories. There's something about seeing them in manuscript form that's more gripping than reading the Black Sparrow books though. Still like them, they just seem sterile, the letters, when cleaned up and typeset.

 

[cirerita]

The letters, especially the ones from the 60's, are really powerful and innocent -in the sense B wasn't really known back then and I think he wrote them without ulterior motivations. That's why it's a pity the Norse/Bukowski book of letters was cancelled at the very last minute. Who knows why.

As to the BSP books, many of the letters are edited so it's hard to see the big picture.

 

[Quigley]

I read your essay... as someone new to Bukowski, this is very helpful. Your essay gives me a real feel for the man.

Could you recommend a good biography on Bukowski for a neophyte? Appreciate any suggestions... thanks. :)

 

[mjp]

You'll probably get a lot of different recommendations. A good place to start is probably Howard Sounes' Charles Bukowski. Locked in the arms of a crazy life.

 

[cirerita]

thanks for the good words. anyway, remember it's a translation, I'm pretty much convinced it sounds much better in Spanish...

 

[HenryChinaski]

ahahhahahaha once again, good work cirerita

 

[poptop]

Compliments

I wrote this back in 2001 in a row -maybe in 2 hours- in Spanish, so this is a translation from the original. Be merciful on me if it sounds a bit un-English.

I know the last sentence is kind of a clich?, but that's how it came and I never felt like changing it for a better one. I'm not a revise-things-twenty-times kind of guy :D

Your way of writing takes in a lot of the warming goodness of Bukowski himself without you losing your own voice. Hard to do. Glad to have come across your essay of scholarly appreciation and your many other memorable contributions to this fine newsgroup. It's amazing what you can discover within yourself by going all the way into the life of one particular genius : the whole of humanity is reflected in its parts. Or so it seems to me.

Sincerely, Poptop

 

[cirerita]

glad to see you newbies ;) are digging up old threads...

 

[Olaf]

Great short essay!

:)

 

[the only good poet]

I know the last sentence is kind of a clich?, but that's how it came and I never felt like changing it for a better one. I'm not a revise-things-twenty-times kind of guy :D

i think you hit on the essence. "...but he found his own paradise." life can be a real horror show, and figments come back to haunt us.

The letters, especially the ones from the 60's, are really powerful and innocent -in the sense B wasn't really known back then and I think he wrote them without ulterior motivations. That's why it's a pity the Norse/Bukowski book of letters was cancelled at the very last minute. Who knows why.

yes yes yes. the letters are pure unadulterated. agree with mjp here (too). the whole of b's trajectory was one dark night of the soul placed in our idiom...