play the piano drunk.... (1 Viewer)

[hanzpolilla]

well, there is a book: play the piano... you know...
it isn't a great book, but there are a lot of greats poems:4000 flies par example.... but I just wanna know if someone has a extra-information about this? somethnig... and interview, a bukowski comment....
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS BOOK? EH? EH?

 

[IchLiebeW33D]

i know that it is a sort of best of from the 70s

 

[Bukfan]

The book is made up of poems originally featured in a monthly magazine, Sparrow, which was used by John Martin as a way of showcasing the work of poets he were publishing in more substantial editions. Despite it's off-putting title, it contains some of Bukowski's best poetry, including "Fire Station".

- Anyway, that's what Sounes writes about it in his Buk bio...

 

[cirerita]

I don't know about Sounes, but I know a different story: When The Days... was about to be printed, Martin found out the book was too long and had to discard some poems. Martin allowed Noel Young to use those poems for Fire Station. Finally, they were reprinted in Play the Piano... Maybe they were also published in the Sparrow series, but I'm too lazy to double-check that now :D

 

[Bukfan]

Does that mean that "Firestation" is more or less identical with "Play The Piano..."?

Ps.: The Sounes quote I used are from the last pages of his bio where he lists some of Buk's important books...

 

[cirerita]

As I said, I'm too lazy to double-check those facts now, but I can tell you that the poems which originally appeared in Fire Station (discarded from The Days) were then reprinted in Play the Piano.