The heart of Bukowski’s fictional work is the semi-autobiographical saga of —Bukowski’s alter ego. These books form the backbone of his prose legacy.
The novel is a viciously funny and soul-crushing account of Chinaski’s decade-long career as a mail carrier and clerk. It contains every Bukowski trademark: the hatred of authority, the search for cheap wine, the desperate affairs, and the gallows humor of a man who realizes the American Dream is a lie. “The post office is a brutal institution,” he writes. It remains the perfect starting point. charles bukowski books
If Post Office is the best starting point, Ham on Rye is arguably the best book. It functions as a prequel, detailing Chinaski’s childhood and adolescence during the Great Depression. The heart of Bukowski’s fictional work is the
After you’ve devoured the above, look for Notes of a Dirty Old Man (a collection of his underground newspaper columns), Shakespeare Never Did This (a travelogue), and Pulp (his strange, final novel—a parody of detective fiction written while he was dying of leukemia). It contains every Bukowski trademark: the hatred of