Why do you like Bukowski? (2 Viewers)

Why do I dig Sir Charles?

Here are my top 10:

1. He is an original; broke the mold, and stole poetry away from the ivory tower

2. Like tequila, at first he goes down harsh, then gets better with every shot

3. His writing is clean

4. His writing is dirty

5. He opened new doors of insight for me about humanity (...and lack of)

6. He's a great American poet (during my lifetime)

7. He made me laugh so hard it brought tears to my eyes

8. I dig a good anti-hero who shoves it up society's ass (and seemingly wins)

9. The volume of work he created over his lifetime

10. The titles of his books, especially, "South of No North"

Pax,

homeless mind

(Author's note: I reserve the right to change this list hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. ;))
 
Well, I was never smart enough to go out with a girl because of what she read...my problem.
Buk was not the only reason of our attraction but he no doubt was an important one. We were talking about one day making together a pilgrimage at L.A. in order to see his gravestone ...what a loss.

That was moving, Amb.
I'm feeling nostalgic, roni.

7. He made me laugh so hard it brought tears to my eyes
His humour was the very first thing that seduced me, I remember l couldn't help laughing out loud while reading my first Buk book, wherever I was, even in the subway. I am very demanding in matter of humour ; it turned out that Buk's one exactly suited me.
 
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Chinaski is the best anti-hero of all time, better than Dostoevski's Unnamed, Joyce's Bloom, Camus' Mersault, Sartre's Roquentin...you name it. Theres no one better at aiiming low and hitting high than the BUK. That odd method of delivering pertinence, the "WHERE" that it come-from is so disagreeable to itself that it is induplicatable. And damn he's funny.
your last line nails it. i have never laughed longer or harder than i have at bukowski. his writing is full of truth and wisdom, but i think i mainly love him for the laughs.

Chinaski is the best anti-hero of all time, better than Dostoevski's Unnamed, Joyce's Bloom, Camus' Mersault, Sartre's Roquentin...you name it. Theres no one better at aiiming low and hitting high than the BUK. That odd method of delivering pertinence, the "WHERE" that it come-from is so disagreeable to itself that it is induplicatable. And damn he's funny.
scribbler's last line resonates with me. aside from all the wisdom and insanity, it is the laughs. my god, i have never laughed longer or harder than when reading bukowski. the older i get, the more important laughing gets.
 
Buk is FREE of lies, false authorities, false values, dis honest games and of fear.
And most important : Buk always looked on naked truth with open eyes even when the thruth was ugly , unpleasant, stinky and painfull. When it was too much for him , he escaped for a while with bottle and writing. Was human , not superman.
That's why like him a lot.
 
I like Bukowski because he writes.
He writes what is inside him.
And from all that I have read he writes without trying to write like anyone else.
Lessons to learn by.
He writes and so.... he writes.
And I get the pleasure to read what he writes.
 
A lot of you already covered detailed reasons why I like Bukowski. Simply put, he makes me laugh, think, and (he might hate this) I can identify with his philosophies on people and the general absurdity of life.
 
No lie. Me and my homies was just lamenting the vicissitudes last night, over TV dinners and endless gallon pitchers of ice cold whole milk, that wondrous alimentary provender. O glorious sustenance! Fuel for the creative fires.

Yes, alas, vicissitudes.
 
I just started reading Bukowski this year (2009). In the last 4 and half months I have read the novels and one post-humous poetry book. This thread caught my eye because I don't yet know why I like it so much or why I haven't been able to stop buying these books as soon as I finish one. "Funny" is being thrown around a lot. I wouldn't exactly call these books funny. Maybe "Entertaining" is a better choice of word, for me at least. The books are better paced than any I've ever read. He never allows things to get boring. There is no peak or crest. I can't find any climax in them. They're very linear. I love that. They are scrubbed free of melo-drama and sentimentality. They're bullshit free. I think thats why I love Bukowski, but I have a lot more to read and my reasons might change. Danke.
 
because he knew the importance of truth and the honesty of lies. because he was pretty pure for an adult. because i hate cops. because i like pretty things. because i have bad grammar.
 
I like this. I remember one time Buk saying something like "I was the toughest god damned mother fucker there ever was" and you believed it, too. To think a guy like that could actually sit down and write stories on a typewriter, or even worse (better) write poems...and then that FACE looking at you, holy shit...the actual truth of those "ordinary" stories...you can feel it, it can't be faked...the fact is he lived a very brave and hard and unusual life...rare...But sometimes the "writer" came out and he wrote fake stories like when he stuffed the guy down into the race track bleachers, and I don't like those as much...
 
Just found him

I feel like an ignoramous, I stumbled Charles Bukowski, that was how I came to know him.
His poetry is the best I have read in a long time, and reminded me how much I love it( I am a big fan of Beckett, I love the humour). I am so happy to have found a new writer that says things so perfectly. Cannot wait to read his books and would welcome any suggestions as to which to read first, if it might make a difference.
 
welcome Carrie.

Looking around you'll find a damn lot of suggestions where to start. In fact they are so many, you got the same problem after than before - what to chose first.

my 20 cents -
Since you seem to like his poetry:

- Burning in Water Drowning in Flame
- You get so Alone at Times that it just makes Sense

pretty good look into his early and later poetry.
 
I feel like an ignoramous, I stumbled Charles Bukowski, that was how I came to know him.
His poetry is the best I have read in a long time, and reminded me how much I love it( I am a big fan of Beckett, I love the humour). I am so happy to have found a new writer that says things so perfectly. Cannot wait to read his books and would welcome any suggestions as to which to read first, if it might make a difference.

Carrie, my recommendation is to find a bookstore with a bunch of Bukowski books on the shelf. Look through the titles and see which one stands out to you. That's how I picked up Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way...several years ago. I've been working my way through Buk's books based on how his titles stand out to me. And having a blast.
 

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