Pulp. (1 Viewer)

I've just finished it. I liked it. Did everyone else? How did Hank feel about this book? I've read he thought it might ruin his reputation? But that it held a special place in his esteem?
 
That's cool. I'm glad you liked it.
I liked it too. I had read pretty much everything he had written up to that point. Then he died... then this book came out and it name drops and it takes the piss and generally farks around with a big shit-eating grin.

It seemed to be the right book at the right time... for me.
I know some others here don't care for it. I know yet others who loath it.

I think Bukowski was nervous about how this book would be received. He talked (wrote) as if it didn't matter too much to him what people thought... but, I get that feeling... then again... he knew he wouldn't be around for much longer so maybe he didn't care.

If you want an insight to his thoughts on the matter, buy the last book of letters - Reach for the sun (or Volume 4 in the Virgin editions). He mentions Pulp quite a bit.

What's next?
 
By no means is Pulp one of Buk's best books and I think its very out of place with the rest of his work (his stab at a 'detective novel' as opposed to writing based heavily on his life experiences).

its nevertheless an enjoyable book and towards the end of the book where he is talking about death...thats particularly poigniant.
 
PULP was a farewell letter to his friends, family, and fans.
Read when it was first published - right on the heels of his death - it had a power and sentimentality that is probably lost on people discovering it now, especially if they haven't read all of the work preceding it.
That said, I find it to be one of Bukowski's funniest books - I love the joke about Chinaski and his postage scale, Dante & Fante, The Red Sparrow, Lady Death, et al - and it seems kind of petty to bitch about its qualities, or lack there of, given the fact that it's "dedicated to bad writing."
(Let's see how well its detractors are able to write when they're dying - or living, for that matter.)
Check out THE CAPTAIN IS OUT TO LUNCH for more info.
 
I have some more books on the way and the dvd. I have just finished reading septuagenarian stew and THE CAPTAIN IS OUT TO LUNCH, which I really really enjoyed.
There are some great little stories in 'Stew' as well. I finished that last night while drinking a few beers and smoking a couple cigars.

Can't get enough BUK at the moment. The man is a legend, and I think Pulp is underated.
 
I was approached by a guy the other night while riding the train home. He saw I was reading HOLLYWOOD and struck up a quick conversation about a friend of his who just might be an idiot because of his hatred of Buk. I responded with a meek, "well, he's not for everyone, you know?" Eventually the guy asked me about PULP, or maybe I asked him, I don't remember. Neither of us had read it. We each justified that decision by reasoning that it was probably one of his worst books ever and therefore we weren't missing out on much by ignoring it.

I was putting him on, obviously. But, I do recall browsing through it at a library years ago and not being particularlly moved to check it out. Maybe one of these days...
 
I picked it up a few years ago and the first couple of paragraphs put me off. But then I was heavily into Elmore Leonard at the time. Totally different styles. It's definetly worth reading though.
 

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