Best Bukowski
Readers often want to know the best of a writer to sample or merely to experience the writer. Why slosh through all the Bukowski volumes, when the best Bukowski can be found on a pre-established list? Fans like lists so they can argue the merits or failings of such lists. Deciding on the best Bukowski starts with knowing his process, that not everything his fingers typed was awesomeness.
Charles Bukowski was a prolific writer. It was actually that quantity of work that got Bukowski working with Black Sparrow Press. John Martin being a fan of Bukowski’s Notes Of A Dirty Old Man column started Black Sparrow Press based upon years of Bukowski’s collected, unpublished writing. Martin had said there was a closet full of paper sacks with his writing. It was Martin who went through those sacks, culled the best, and put them together in collections for publication. Martin notes that some of them were nothing more than typed letters on a page. Still, that was Bukowski’s process, to keep producing and he would eventually type something good. What endears Bukowski to people is that he did not care about what he wrote, it was just something in him that had to get out. He let the people decide what was the best Bukowski. Thankfully, John Martin helped to offer what the best of his writing.
The Best Bukowski Book Of Poetry
The best Bukowski book of poetry is difficult to determine because they are after all just collections of poems. As most of his books of poetry were collections that John Martin put together, they do not have overt themes or messages. It is easier to ask what the best Bukowski poem would be, but that would be a matter of public debate.
However, it is that trouble determining what the best book of poetry would be that makes it easier to offer one book as his best. The best Bukowski book of poetry would be Love is a Dog From Hell. Love is a Dog From Hell is a book that had a singular theme- love. Or more correctly Love Bukowski Style. His perspective on love, women, and personal relationships is a fan favorite. To evidence that Love is a Dog From Hell may be his best poetry book is that it is his bestselling book of poetry on Amazon. The most likely reason is that it is themed and gives people cause to purchase it over his other poetry collections.
The Best Bukowski Novel
The best Bukowski non-fiction is not as easy to determine. Using the same bestselling evidence from Amazon delivers Women as Bukowski’s best novel. However, this book is rarely discussed among fans and the few academics who care to discuss his writings. Ham on Rye is more often brought forward as his best novel and is evidenced by the number of reviews one will find on Amazon. It is more of his poetry that people love put to a novelized form. Post Office and Factotum are favorites too. Adding to the cause that Factotum is the best Bukowski novel is that was made into a movie. Still, it is hard to argue against Ham on Rye being the best Bukowski novel.
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