Charles Bukowski has a pretty good following in SF, or at least he used to. I was wondering how many people might catch the reference here, unless of course the tag is supposed to be read “China Ski.” For those who do not know, Mickey Rourke portrayed the late poet Charles Bukowski in the 1987 film “Barfly,” using the pseudonym Henry Chinaski. If you like dingy and nihilistic American bar scenes, you may find this film inspiring!
I like the poems more than the prose, because their (relatively) concise structures fit the (relatively) limited number of different things he has to say.
Read Love Is A Dog From Hell during a miserable breakup, back in the ’70s and, while it didn’t exactly help… it has stuck with me.
Oh, oops, I haven’t read his books. I have a copy of Ham on Rye, but I haven’t read it. I like his poetry, but a lot of it’s kind of depressing. Maybe I’ll read more of his stuff when I get older and feel like more of a failure in life.
I dunno. I think some of it is depressing, sure, but others of it actually has a message of hope in the darkness. One of my favorites is The Laughing Heart:
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
Allan Hough (7858)
Brittany Janis & Katie Cruz (104)
Chinaski!!
fuckin’ bukowski
Charles Bukowski has a pretty good following in SF, or at least he used to. I was wondering how many people might catch the reference here, unless of course the tag is supposed to be read “China Ski.” For those who do not know, Mickey Rourke portrayed the late poet Charles Bukowski in the 1987 film “Barfly,” using the pseudonym Henry Chinaski. If you like dingy and nihilistic American bar scenes, you may find this film inspiring!
Chinaski was the pseudonym Bukowski gave himself in his books.. it wasn’t just the movie.
What’s your favorite? I like Women and Factotum. Though they’re kind of all the same.
If you like the movie Hollywood is a good followup.
I like the poems more than the prose, because their (relatively) concise structures fit the (relatively) limited number of different things he has to say.
Read Love Is A Dog From Hell during a miserable breakup, back in the ’70s and, while it didn’t exactly help… it has stuck with me.
Seconded, re: Bukowski’s Poetry. One of my favorites:
they say that nothing is wasted
either that
or
it all is
That’s a good book, but I really fell into his novels.
Factotum and Post Office
Oh, oops, I haven’t read his books. I have a copy of Ham on Rye, but I haven’t read it. I like his poetry, but a lot of it’s kind of depressing. Maybe I’ll read more of his stuff when I get older and feel like more of a failure in life.
I dunno. I think some of it is depressing, sure, but others of it actually has a message of hope in the darkness. One of my favorites is The Laughing Heart:
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
Good advice.
Rourke and Dunaway, fucking awesome movie.
Factotum was better than I was expecting