Writer's on his shit list...? (1 Viewer)

[Jerz]

Hi everyone,

I heard/read of them throughout his works, documentaries, interviews, etc but can't think of any at right now, who were the well known/established writers that Buk scoffed at? Said had no heart?

The guys who wrote lofty, respected stuff that had no balls.. I'm looking for a bunch, but especially his top 3 hated writers.

Please help.

-J

 

[Father Luke]

Marcos Johnson
Valerian Ruminski
Ben Pleasants

just a guess. . .

 

[Ponder]

Victor Valoff...

 

[mjp]

Marcos Johnson
Valerian Ruminski
Ben Pleasants

just a guess. . .

Ha ha ha - totally inside, but I laughed my ass off.

 

[Rekrab]

Too inside for me to figure out. Pleasants I recognize. The other two, I dunno.

He didn't have any kind words for the Black Mountain group of poets, Robert Creeley and all. And, he insulted Allen Ginsberg to his face, at a party (after a reading in San Francisco was it?)

 

[jmoshea]

he said Shakespeare was overrated.

 

[Ponder]

Buk said that Malcolm Lowry had no respect for alcohol because he died in his own puke and Buk found Lowry's books very boring.

Wikipedia:

Lowry died in the village of Ripe, East Sussex, where he was living with his wife. Certainly alcohol, and possibly an overdose of sleeping pills, contributed to what the coroner recorded as "death by misadventure."

 

[bospress.net]

Too inside for me to figure out.

Valerian is a guy who sings Bukowski poems to Opera and I'm not sure who the other guy is... Never heard of him :)

Bill

 

[bospress.net]

apparently the "other guy" mentioned above atill spends a lot of time on this forum just reading. About 10 minutes after I posted the above, he sent me a cryptic e-mail mentioning the above post. Stay tuned.

Bill

 

[MULLINAX]

Well, take your pick...

He really had it in for the 'dumpling pattycakes" listed on the front cover of LAUGH LITERARY AND MAN THE HUMPING GUNS # 1.

The guy who was "too sensitive to work for the post office".

"Janko".

Frances Smith's sofa-sitting 'chirping' pals.

Valoff was a writer?

 

[Father Luke]

I heard/read of them throughout his works, documentaries, interviews, etc but can't think of any at right now, who were the well known/established writers that Buk scoffed at? Said had no heart?

The guys who wrote lofty, respected stuff that had no balls..

Here is Bukowski discussing it.
It's the most help I may offer at this time.
Best wishes.

- -
Okay,
Father Luke

 

[UrbanDKaye]

Buk liked poking fun at Olson, Creeley, and the l-a-n-g-u-a-g-e school poets. Gotta agree with him there. Their stuff all sounds like...

cornea window lettuce
chicken monkey fireworks

...to me.

 

[Never Try]

He does praise e.e. cummings in his poem "What A Writer".

 

[MULLINAX]

Butterfly On A Wheel

Buk said that Malcolm Lowry had no respect for alcohol because he died in his own puke and Buk found Lowry's books very boring.

Wikipedia:

Lowry died in the village of Ripe, East Sussex, where he was living with his wife. Certainly alcohol, and possibly an overdose of sleeping pills, contributed to what the coroner recorded as "death by misadventure."

I saw a documentary on Lowry a few days ago and the villagers of Ripe were hardly shedding tears at his demise. He was the drunken sod who caused nothing but trouble. However, I could watch "Under the Volcano" over and over. Lots of drinking, and they all dress so well, even though they seem to be pretty broke.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

However, I could watch "Under the Volcano" over and over. Lots of drinking, and they all dress so well, even though they seem to be pretty broke.

I agree. love the movie.
and, full disclosure, the book is one of my favourites.

 

[bernard stachman]

1.Rod McKuewn
2.Rod McKuewn
3.Rod McKuewn

 

[MULLINAX]

I must say that Hoochmonkey and I share the same tastes. This is what I mean by the POWER OF BUKOWSKI to bring together humanity, even though we "never had it from the beginning".

 

[hoochmonkey9]

yeah, what the fuck is going on here? that's the second time this week it's happened.
christ, we're slipping.

 

[Garret]

He didn't have any kind words for the Black Mountain group of poets, Robert Creeley and all.

I remember reading in the Barry Miles bio that Buk viewed Creeley as kind of a rival and that Buk's friends--to be on his good side--basically had to denounce Creeley in front of him.

 

[Snowball Fight]

In the Ron Mann interview (Poetry In Motion) Buk make's several statements about how poor the work of other writers is, how he feels there is no one good out there, etc. But, he mentions no names...

On the other hand, his writings are full of references, by name, to writers he likes.

Just an observation; I'd say it was showing some class.

 

[Father Luke]

Here is Bukowski discussing it.

In the Ron Mann interview (Poetry In Motion) Buk make's several statements about how poor the work of other writers is, how he feels there is no one good out there, etc. But, he mentions no names...

That link I provided up yonder is to Poetry In Motion. Bukowski specifically mentions Tolstoy.

 

[mjp]

In the Ron Mann interview (Poetry In Motion) Buk make's several statements about how poor the work of other writers is, how he feels there is no one good out there, etc. But, he mentions no names...

"Something about people who write poetry - they are the weakest members of our society. They are the guys in junior high, used to pick snot out of their noses and eat it, while everybody said, "Hey, heh..." They are the idiots you see, because the strong people don't write poetry. They become something else, they become linebackers in professional football. They become hit men for the Mafia. The good people do the serious jobs. They become plumbers, they become electricians...out of film? Shhhhiiiit, I wasted my best speech. Unforgivable."

 

[Snowball Fight]

That link I provided up yonder is to Poetry In Motion. Bukowski specifically mentions Tolstoy.

Yup....thanks for the refresher...

 

[Father Luke]

ok.

 

[bongobill]

wasn't too fond of w.s. burroughs

 

[Bukfan]

That's right! He wasn't too fond of the Beats. I wonder if his car ride with Neal Cassady had anything to do with that...:D

 

[Garret]

wasn't too fond of w.s. burroughs

I do remember a poem he wrote called "My Friend William Burroughs" (or something like that).

 

[blitz]

wasn't too fond of w.s. burroughs

I have no idea whether or not that is true, but it would surprise me.
I find the way they both wrote quite similar. Take Burrough's Junky
for example.

In the poem "A Sickness?"
he mentiones a bunch of writers and that we "have to admire them
for the courage, the effort"
Ginsberg and Burroughs are both mentioned.
(However, you can admit that writers have had significance without
liking them personally.)

But I'm just guessing here.

 

[blitz]

I do remember a poem he wrote called "My Friend William Burroughs" (or something like that).

Yeah, I found it in the New Poems 4.
But it doesn't really depicts a friendship, or even interest..

In the same collection is "Now, Ezra" where he seemingly
critizises Pound's style because it masks as being profound when
really "there was/is nothing holy to say".

 

[Bukfan]

From Sounes'Buk bio, page 141:

"Of the beat writers, only William Burroughs had given him the cold shoulder, snubbing him at a reading, which was ironic because Burroughs was the only one he admired. Bukowski muttered about going outside and fighting him.
"I could push him over with one punch", he told Harold Norse, who knew them both.
"Yeah, but you'd be dead", said Norse, "He'd shoot you."

 

[blitz]

I didn't know that, thanks!