The Bell Tolls For No One - New Buk Story Collection From City Lights (1 Viewer)

I got The Bell Tolls... and On Writing on the same day - two new Buk books to read! I was surprised by the small size of The Bell Tolls... (which MJP mentions above) but it's a nice-looking book, opens easy and has a good slick cover.
 
All right, first of all, only two stories in The Bell Tolls for No One
ir
were previously unpublished, "A Kind, Understanding Face," and "Flying Is the Safest Way to Travel," other than that, there's nothing new or unknown in the book. But hold on - don't let that dissuade you, because unless you're a hard core Bukowski periodicals collector, pretty much everything in here is going to be new to you.

I am definitely not a Bukowski periodicals collector, but I do have, or have seen, a few of these stories before. Maybe 5 of the 45 or so in the book. But even at 45:5 I'm still an 89% winner, and I'll take those odds any day when it comes to Bukowski. The bulk of the stories are from the L.A. Free Press during the particularly fertile and wonderful Bukowski period of 1972 to 1975, so if you like the mid-70s work you're going to like the book. If you don't know one Bukowski writing period from another, you're still going to like the book.

I can't help but compare this to On Writing
ir
since they were published essentially at the same time. I started reading The Bell Tolls and then On Writing came in, so I set The Bell Tolls aside to read the letters. I like reading Bukowski letters, but at the risk of heresy I might say, enough already. The first Black Sparrow letters collection was an incredible revelation. Having so many letters in one place, it was beautiful. Then came the second volume and that was more of a good thing. But then we got to things like the Martinelli letters
ir
and everything came to a screeching halt. But it's been a few years, so I was looking forward to another letters book. And it was a'ight, you know. I didn't hate it, but it was repetitive - as Bukowski letters always have been - and at the end of it I felt nothing. It wasn't an exciting read, but not because the book was no good, just because, like I said, enough already.

Which brings us to The Bell Tolls, and I have to say that City Lights has really done something that should be recognized and applauded and encouraged in continuing to publish Bukowski short stories and other bits that can't be jammed down either the poetry or novel funnel. Without City Lights all we would have are a couple of good-but-sanitized Black Sparrow short story collections, we wouldn't have any of the messy madness that flows through the City Lights collections, all the way from Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions And General Tales Of Ordinary Madness (available these days as two volumes: The Most Beautiful Woman In Town And Other Stories
ir
and Tales Of Ordinary Madness
ir
) to this new collection.

And hats off to David Calonne who has compiled and edited all of the recent City Lights collections in a no-nonsense (and chronological!) way.
 
It's funny, I had the same feeling with the Dirty Old Man columns a while ago. I read them all and I felt he was singing the same old song over and over again -- I knew he had a weekly deadline and many columns were hastily written. Still, I almost felt like skipping some of the columns when I saw he was recycling old material.

I never felt that while reading his correspondence, although the limitations of a thematic book didn't help matters. In his letters, despite the inevitable repetitions, I always find sparks of the true Bukowski genius here and there.

I do not have a copy of The Bell Tolls..., but I bet David did a great job, as he always does. Am really looking forward to getting my copy soon. And kudos to City Lights for keeping the flame alive.
 
Right, so it's not mostly unpublished stuff. It's more accurate to say it's uncollected i guess. Well, I have been reading Buk in earnest for prob only 8 years and never read anything from any actual periodical in my hands. That's what makes it all so cool for me.
 
[The bulk of the stories are from the L.A. Free Press during the particularly fertile and wonderful Bukowski period of 1972 to 1975, so if you like the mid-70s work you're going to like the book.

And the bulk of the stories in More Notes Of A Dirty Old Man were also from the L.A. Free Press 1972-1975, so I guess The Bells Tolls could have been called Still More Notes Of A Dirty Old Man or something like that.

I didn't hate it, but it was repetitive - as Bukowski letters always have been

Bukowski was often repetitive, not only in his letters but also in his novels, short stories and poems. Many of the events in his life he kept repeating in his writing in different versions and formats.

But then we got to things like the Martinelli letters
ir
and everything came to a screeching halt.

That's the only letter book I have´nt read everything in. I don't find most of the letters that interesting, but maybe that's just me. Of course, the way Martinelli uses homemade abbreviations and such, which Bukowski seems to copy, does´nt make the letters any easier to read.
 
In his letters, despite the inevitable repetitions, I always find sparks of the true Bukowski genius here and there.
Well, you could say the same thing about the columns I suppose. Or the poetry collections...the sparks of genius are what makes any of it worth reading. It's like listening to a song that you don't think is anything remarkable and then they throw in a little something - a twist, a phrase, a hook and you think, "Now I remember why I love this fucking band."

It's probably just an occupational hazard, but reading the letters books I my mind starts to wander and I end up stopping at little details and wondering if we have them in the timeline.

All I know is Amazon keeps rejecting what I wrote above as a review, even when I take out "erections" and "ejaculations."
 
it was a'ight, you know. I didn't hate it, but it was repetitive - as Bukowski letters always have been - and at the end of it I felt nothing. It wasn't an exciting read, but not because the book was no good, just because, like I said, enough already.

I was just going to run out and buy this until I read this review. Now I'm just gonna way for it to be released on DVD.

Just kidding. But seeing as how you have a zillion merit badges by your name, doesn't that mean you already probably know all about the buk-man? I feel like a letters collection is probably more for those of us who still have only scratched his royal surface, so to speak.

Either way, cool review I appreciate it and it definitely sparked my interest. It's funny that sometimes negative reviews do more than a positive one for sparking interest in things. I guess it has more to do with whether the reviewer can actually write, and less to do with whether the review is 'positive' or 'negative' that draws people into the subject being reviewed.
 
I feel like a letters collection is probably more for those of us who still have only scratched his royal surface...
Well there are 4 or 5 letter collections out there already, and they've been available for 10 or 15 years, so I assume that anyone who wants to read his letters has already had ample opportunity. In which case these are more of the same.

But more of the same is what most of us are looking for, so there's that. I would say though that if you haven't read the existing letter collections, read those before On Writing. The Black Sparrow collections are much bigger and not as narrow in focus.
 
I received my copy of The Bells Tolls today. The small size is disappointing and so are the small letters and the thin paper it's printed on. I don't understand why City Lights chose to print the book like that, especially since it's really one more Notes Of A Dirty Old Man book and as such they should´ve kept it like the two first Notes... books. I´m sure most people would´nt have minded paying a couple more bucks for it. More Notes... cost $16.95 and this new one cost $14.95 (or so it says on the back cover although because Amazon sells it for $7.76!), so it's not like it's way cheaper than More Notes... if the $14.95 is the price it's sold for in most book stores. Even if it's only $7.76, like on Amazon, i would still gladly have paid $16.95 for it had it looked the same as the two first Notes... books.
Oh well, at least it's one more Notes... book and that's the important thing.
 
I'm right with you, Bukfan. I posted almost the same thoughts above when I picked up my copy. The book looks like an out-of-place Fawcett Crest paperback from 1960 on my shelf and my eyes ain't getting any better, either. I would much preferred to have something the same size as the City Lights versions of the Notes, as you wrote. This one is much more like the original Essex House Notes, but it's the words, right?

I bought directly from City Lights, and the book is discounted 30% and sells for $10.47. I prefer to buy directly from City Lights over Amazon, so I did. The UPS shipping cost was $9.50. Not that that is breaking the bank, but it's not much of a 30% discount, is it?
 
I would say though that if you haven't read the existing letter collections, read those before On Writing. The Black Sparrow collections are much bigger and not as narrow in focus.

If you just want to have a quick snapshot of Bukowski's letter writing over the years, then I think On Writing is a pretty good choice because, unlike the previous correspondence volumes, you'll get to read all Bukowski's voices and styles in a single collection.

Now, if you want to read everything, then the logical starting point would be Screams from the Balcony.
 
were previous collections done according tp any principle, or did somebody just grab a huge handfull of letters out of the pile and say 'these will make a good collection'? i mean, one obvious advantage to this new collection, besides its newness (yay new!) is that it was compiled by an actual researcher for an actual purpose, no?
 
It's funny, I had the same feeling with the Dirty Old Man columns a while ago. I read them all and I felt he was singing the same old song over and over again -- I knew he had a weekly deadline and many columns were hastily written. Still, I almost felt like skipping some of the columns when I saw he was recycling old material.

At times I think this book should have been called "The Linda King Chronicles." But there are a few gems in there.
 
were previous collections done according tp any principle, or did somebody just grab a huge handfull of letters out of the pile and say 'these will make a good collection'?
Well, the three that were published in the 1990s were sorted more or less chronologically:
  1. Screams from the Balcony, 1960-1970
  2. Living on Luck, 1960s-1970s
  3. Reach for the Sun, 1978-1994
Beside those, you have The Buk/Purdy Letters to and from Buk and Canadian poet Al Purdy, from 1964-1974 and published in 1983, and Beerspit Night and Cursing, which contains letters between Buk and Sherri Martinelli from 1960-1967 (published in 2001). So, there was something of a construct to them.
 
Screams from the Balcony, 1960-1970 / Living on Luck, 1960s-1970s / Reach for the Sun, 1978-1994 / The Buk/Purdy Letters / Beerspit Night and Cursing ...
there's also THIS very tiny volume of the letters to his uncle Heinrich in Germany.
I must admit, that it's only of any interest to anyone if you're a hardcore fan who needs to have everything.

But - we've sort hijacked this thread didn't we?
Wasn't it supposed to be about David's latest book?
 
I have read TBTFNO and can recommend it. It is a strange book to handle for anyone with average size hands. That said the production values are nice and I didn't mind the paper. I prefer this to the BSP paperbacks which are so big and with thick paper.

My review will be published online next month - I don't determine when the reviews are published. I will link it when it goes live.

Anyway, if you like Buk's fiction then this is a good buy.
 
I really like a lot of the horse racing stuff. "Horsemeat" is a personal favorite, and I love the one about finding a wallet in the crapper. Or the one about the guy with no arms taking a long time to place his bet. Am I correct in understanding though, that all of the "On....." series is just collected from stuff I already have?
 
tomorrow, Thursday the 29th
oh, boy! I wish I could be there! Too bad, it's a tiny little bit too far from my place, dammit!
Have a great lot of fun David! (and Mary if she be with you on the trip)


p.s.:
@Corey: The "On..."-series contains all new, uncollected material. It is, however, not edited by the editor of 'The Bell Tolls' (David), but by Abel (cirerita).
You're welcome.
 
I am reading this one right now and the story with the monkey ("Dewey") is cracking me up. When the protagonist wakes up the sleeping monkey by whispering in his ear: "The white American male rules the universe!" :D:D

Genius Bukowski.
 
Saw this just recently in a bookstore window on my way to work, didn't realize what it was, I might have to stop in tomorrow to take a gander...
 
The story on pg119 is quite political for Him I thought. As he writes:

"I don't even know how to end one of these things. I guess like this: END."

This bit speaks to the pacifist in me and was probably something he had toyed with for years given his history:

"Here were men who had flown in bombers and had dropped thousands of tons of explosives upon cities and people. Here were killers being honored as heroes...We here in America have imprisoned men for much less, fed them badly, and they were hardly heroes when they came out."
 
I had no idea this one came out until now. I've been keeping my library copy in my front pocket and whipping it out every once in awhile when I have spare time. Anyone else find it easy to do this with? I'm glad they made it so comfy, man, fits right in the trousers.

Later homies.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top