10 months of sobriety here after 18 years of addiction. Buk was/is a hero of mine, but I definitely romanticised my alcoholism with artists like himself, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Waits etc. I only learned this year that my own violent childhood ingrained significant trauma causing the debilitating panic attacks & depression I later masked with substances. I wish people like Buk had an opportunity to learn about such things. Poor guy was far gentler than he'd have the world believe
Waits gained wisdom in his middle age. “There ain't nothing funny about being a drunk," he observed, looking back. "You know, I was really starting to believe there was something amusing and wonderfully American about a drunk. I ended up telling myself to cut that shit out."
@@trevscribbles One might credit his wife Kathleen Brennan with that as well as his sobriety. He really is a role model, you can survive and thrive in this world being a bit of an outsider and making it work.
Bukowski didn’t just document the lowest among us but he wrote about society and its hypocrisy. He did it with style and wit. How can you hate this man? I can’t. He hasn’t done anything worthy of hate. He may have redeemed himself with writing. Great writing.
Loved Bukowski since a child until way over my Philosohy Degree. I'm most likely one of the few portuguese 42 year old men that craves for the raw of his brillance. I often think to myself when i see some old, marked by hard lifes, raw wisdom, lonely old men in small portuguese bars: there could be a "line" of completelly unknow genious like him but society just look at them as poor drunks. Not me. And i go further, i can say with a certain feel of assertivity that i've learn more by talking to random old calm quiet "drunks" at a small local tabern than in many classes in college or with converseations totally blend with people that love to brag about their education. Absolutely loved the way you aproached Bukowski. Great job! Greetins from a tiny island on the Azores, Portugal.
I agree - there is book learning and there is wisdom - people who have had it hard often have a lot of wisdom. I've never been to The Azores, but it's on my bucket list.
Heading home on a cross-country road trip -- Travelling through a smaller, but well known, hot, dry tourist border town on the Cali-Arizona border, (Needles)...I drove around, just checking the town out. Took a picture of a route 66/ Elvis Presley mural on a deserted building wall. Good ol' Americana. I decided to stop by a little, odd store on a little odd lot. Had "jerky" signs on the window. Unusual, odd little things will attract me. Turns out I stayed over an hour, talking to this 82 yr. old guy behind the "counter". He was a gold mine. Knew so much history, and science I was floored. He was an encyclopedia. Had a very fascinating life. Told him he should write a book. He had met General Schwarzkopf (who had an IQ of 170!)... Worked on a Nuclear Submarine...had all these amazing jobs...was in the Navy if I recall correctly. He started explaining all kinds of things, physics, oceanography, the bs around "climate change", Elons starlink, etc...which went way over my head. He could talk about any subject on earth, including religion, politics. My kinda' guy. 😁 I wish I could have recorded him. I wish I could have gone back...I wanted to know how the heck he ended up there - in that odd little, "nowhere" store that had bare shelves, and sold only jared olives, jerky, and dried fruit. (I don't think I will ever see such an odd little store like that again...with such an interesting man behind the 'counter'...It wasn't really a counter, more like a table, with a computer)... but too far away from me to make it an easier trip. Like I said, he was a gold mine. It's amazing the kinds of people you can end up meeting out in the sort of, "middle of nowhere."
Regarding you, Dr. Yorston and Bukowski...."Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Love produces kindness and begets forgiveness. Your commentaries set an example and reminder to us all. Thank you.
Professor Yorston’s videos are always well researched, recorded and edited. His choice of subjects are easy (for me) to appreciate, but I especially enjoy his talks about writers. Fortunately most of his work is about them. Thanks again .
Oh yes! He is one of my old favourites too. I have spent much time in his murky world. Even if one does not want to take part in his world one can’t say that it weren’t beautifully described. Your channel is a lovely place to spend my time, Professor. Thank you from Norway.
You and I must share a brain I think sometimes. Love Bukowski. Went down the rabbit hole of his work years ago and read all the novels and many of the poems. All the documentaries were good, but THE BUKOWSKI TAPES and BORN INTO THIS were the best.
Professor Yorston, I truly enjoyed your video about Charles Bukowski. He was a simple and complex man at the same time. He had his demons, but he was also found to be lovable and could love in return. He lived life on his own terms. I guess you could say he was a genuine creative. I'm pleased he finally found success and was able to share his voice with so many.
One night in 1980 I went to visit my friend Dianne in West Hollywood. She let me in and told me she was going clubbing and she introduced me to woman named Linda, who had just opened a bottle of cheap wine. Dianne left, Linda and I drank wine and made small talk. She informed me that she was companion to Charles Bukowski, a writer, had I heard of him? "You mean the dude who writes Notes of a Dirty Old Man in the L.A.Free Press?" I asked. Yes, him, she said. I told her I was a prude and had never read the column and she laughed. She told me that he had written several books and I should go to the library and check him out. We were both a bit drunk when I excused myself and went out to find a place to sleep (I was homeless). The next day I was exiled from the library for laughing uncontrollably. Chuck had given his last reading that year in Redondo Beach. The Bukowskis were living in San Pedro, next to Long Beach, that year. Charles Bukowski is my favorite writer and taught me more about self-acceptance and writing than anybody else AND he has made me laugh, a lot.
I am from New Orleans and had an apartment on Royal Street, in the French Quarter. There was a bar called the Royal Street Inn that had a room dedicated to him and outside, a slab of concrete that had ‘Hank ‘55’ inscribed on it by him. “Find what you love and let it kill you.” -Bukowski
Great video! I discovered Ham on Rye in my early 20's and identified immediately--I had cystic acne for 15 years and, boy, not only does it make you feel like a freakish outcast, it also makes you inhibited and pretty much detest everyone who has perfect skin and teeth. So you start drinking; NOT a solution of course, but for a while it makes you indifferent to what other people think of your appearance, financial status, etc. What I love about Bukowski is that, in his work, you read about people and situations that make you say "I've met that type before" or "Yep, I've been there." My favorite line of his comes from a poem (I wish I could remember the title) where he's driving to the track in his new BMW, musing on his fame and fortune and he writes how he's gone "From idiot to successful idiot." I love that line; he never stopped doing what he'd always done, had a sense of humor about himself, and innately knew that chance (meeting John Martin) was what changed his circumstances--there's no "I'm a self-made success!" crap you see from social media-types these days.
One of my favourite writers, thank you. I was first a bit puzzled by your pronunciation of his name bc I never realised that pronounce it German. Bukowski wrote some wonderful love poems (like 'Eulogy To A Hell Of A Dame') His poem on creativity is awesome: "air and light and time and space '- you know, I've either had a family, a job, something has always been in the way but now I've sold my house, I've found this place, a large studio, you should see the space and the light. for the first time in my life I'm going to have a place and the time to create.' no baby, if you're going to create you're going to create whether you work 16 hours a day in a coal mine or you're going to create in a small room with 3 children while you're on welfare, you're going to create with part of your mind and your body blown away, you're going to create blind crippled demented, you're going to create with a cat crawling up your back while the whole city trembles in earthquakes, bombardment, flood and fire. baby, air and light and time and space have nothing to do with it and don't create anything except maybe a longer life to find new excuses for."
Thank you so very, very much for making this video available to us. Fairly much by accident, I learned of Charles Bukowski just last week. Then, I looked him up on Google and searched out content on RUclips about him and his work. Over Christmas (2024) I have taken a number of his books from the public library, and "Ham on Rye" is the first one I'm reading. What an utterly fascinating man and book. "Ham on Rye" is proving to be so readable, clearly and honestly written and written without self-censoring filters. Combining this book with other biographical information found elsewhere, "Ham on Rye" appears to be a clear lens into Mr. Bukowski's life. Yours is one of the clearest and most insightful videos I've seen on RUclips regarding this complex man, and I have learned so much from it. Thank you again, best wishes and warmest regards from Toronto, Canada. (Liked and Subscribed.)
The psychological and sociological aspects of his writing, to me, are at the core of my interest in his work. Longing for love, relieved when it leaves, and then opening the door to connection when the dust settles. The drudgery and pointlessness of the 9-5 death march, and the struggle to squeeze one's own passion into the remaining hours of a day. Regardless of the subject matter, he wound layers of fiction around emotional and mental truths. exposing an acute sensitivity to the realities of being human.
That was fascinating, especially the relation between alcohol and art. My dad was a serious alcoholic and it carried with me forever. Thank you for your enlightening analysis. I’m a big fan of your work.
Good job on this admirably even-handed accounting, Professor Yorston. Bukowski taught me the lesson that the more honest you are about the plain facts, the more there is to write about, and the better your story will be. I can't say that about any other writer.
I discovered Bukowski about 15 years ago, I’m trying to read most of his poems, reading a couple every night. His poems are different, real life observations about real people and real emotions
Can't get enough about Bukowski. I don't know why but the man intrigues me. Perhaps I find myself in his vision. It's like I see myself in 3rd person when reading his stories. Until my late thirties I've read zero books, now I'm all into literature. My big heroes are Bukowski (of course) and the Dutch writer Herman Brusselmans. Perhaps I might write a book myself one day. Or become a professor. Or nothing. Well, guess I'll just enjoy the weekend now. Thanks for this great video. 👍
Thank you Prof. for your bio doc on Mr Bukowski. Your presentations always come across in an honest, unbiased & fair manner. I wonder whether Mr Bukowski ever knew he had a lovely strong face, weathered as in a true map of his life, character-filled! - I’m looking forward to reading “Post Office” ❣️
OK, on the basis of your recommendationtion, Dr, I just got hold of a copy of Post Office. Intrigued enough after skimming the initial pages to dive right in. I'm glad I found your channel. It's refreshing, I needed this...
I'm a big fan- have all those black sparrow books- I loved your video and think its about the best of all the documentaries about Bukowski - you offer a very fresh and sober appraisal - deeply thoughtful - great work! thank you!
My late father was a postal worker in Detroit/Grosse Pointe, starting not too long after WWII; he retired in in the early 1980s. So "Post Office" sounds to me like a good book in which to start an acquainted with his work. Thank you!
@@professorgraemeyorston well, he stuck with it. He was a charmer, but traumatized by the Great Depression (poor, got farmed out to foster care, et al) & serving as a gunny sgt. on a B-24 in the Pacific. Back when he & Buk worked there, a carrier also did sorting. I think he & Buk would've gotten along, though. The most interesting thing he ever told me about his route was that he carried mail to the Giacalones, the controller of the Mafia in Detroit. The area where they lived would be considered "posh" in the UK.
I suppose my early introduction to the American literary gendre was coloured by E E Cummings whose work offended my sense of grammatical accuracy and symmetry. So beyond the 20th century classics and a teenage period of angst reading of Salenger, I have eschewed our colonial literary cousins. That is until your literary 'mentoring introduced me to The Dharma Bums by Kerouac, and now World of Books holds an order for Bukowski's Post Office! Having been described as mercurial when younger and having a form of manic, suicidal depression as a teenager, my formative reading was thus locked on Scandinavian noire, Hamlet and Macbeth etc., so thank your for your curating enlightenment. Rob
Great video. I love Bukowski. I think he explains himself best in the poem 'Bluebird'. I know there's a lot of self-mythologising in his story, but every time I re-connect with his work, he makes me want to tell the truth in my own life. I can't think of any other artist who has that effect on me.
I have always hated Bukowski, his writing turned me all the way off. I needed to see this, it just takes looking at him from different angles to appreciate him as an artist. He reminds me so much of men in my life who have been so difficult to love, I can see now that is why he repulsed me. Not sure if I’m going to pick up his work, but I will be more empathetic if I do decide to read something of his. Thank you for this loving tribute, I am a changed woman.
Wow crazy that you dislike him so and I adore him. To me it wasn’t so much of writing about real life but his personal eye about it. It made life more tolerable for me and actually forced me to have a more tender relationship with it(life). Dig your honesty. Thanks for this video ❤
@ Oh man, since I watched this I’ve been down the Bukowski rabbit hole. One For The Shoeshine Man set my soul on fire, I clearly never gave the man a proper chance.
I had realised his parents were a big problem to him. Hadn't realised how bad they were, though! I've read quite a lot of Bukowski, novels, short stories, and poetry. Very memorable to me. I don't feel his work is problematic anymore than any other historical artist. An artists work is made up of a combination of their time and place in history and their psyche. I have never found offence in his work, he is revealing "himself, " his pain and possibly self loathing. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you.
I find the talks on writers most interesting. Steinbeck was such a different person than I had imagined. I loved the Steinbeck museum in Salinas. Well worth a visit.
Thank you for the company. Love to listen while working, about people that, I sometimes know a little about, or maybe just know the names but not know the person, and my mind gets blown. Very interesting and well explained and narrated. I know you've said in past video's to mention a personality that we'd like to hear about. Well I'd love to know more about Erik Satie, who seems to have been somewhat of an oddball with all his own weird paranoia's.. Thank you Professor Yorston..
I loved this video. Interesting and compassionate exploration of a fascinating writer and person. In depth exploration that utilizes compassion instead of criticism as the primary method of the analysis.
Years ago, when Bukowski was still alive, I got to know his doctor a bit. He disliked the poet thoroughly and thought he was an awful person. He had never read any of his work and was surprised when I told him I saw quite a bit of humanity in the man (whom I never met) when I viewed him through his writing. Whether or not I persuaded the doctor to pick up a volume of Bukowski I'll never know.
I am a writer who was a psych nurse practitioner for many years… I enjoy your videos… Have you done one on Raymond Carver? If not, you might find him fascinating too😊
Steinbeck, Hemingway, Bukowski, Kerouac - you’ve hit upon many of the famous American writers who had king-sized drinking problems. As a recovering alcoholic I’ve studied their lives closely and didn’t think I could learn more, but your research is stunning and I’ve always gained additional insight. Hope you can do something about Raymond Carver sometime, whose story is more hopeful and who did his best writing after he quit drinking (although Buk’s story is very hopeful as well, as you note at the end of this video piece).
Fantastic insights in this video of Charles Bukowski. I see him as a cross between George Best and Spike Milligan; talented and fun-loving and a bit crazy. His prolific output is all the more impressive given that he had so many years of rejection and obscurity.
@@professorgraemeyorston No. I dont think so man. He was sort of a new man out of despire. Not confined in our understanding. The legasy he left is wast. One thing is: the drink. I genualy dont think that he wrote more bas with it. probably it was fester to his caracter.
I appreciated your approach toward Bukowski. I tend to dislike self-torturing male artists who abuse self-hating women, but your soothing voice and scholarly tone allowed me to learn. I found Bar Fly too tragically frustrating to watch to the end. I'm not sure if I could handle one of his novels.
This guy interests me. We all have low life aspects of ourselves. I had a rough upbringing, moved around went to 16 schools😮 had to fight as i was welcomed to each new playground but being good at sports and being reasonably.popular among girls as well it always settled down. To have physical disfigurement makes being accepted far more problematic Never judge people on status or appearance, let em talk youll almost always find something interesting underneath all the scars life gives us Here's to you all, remember to enjoy the good moments 👍😉
I was thrilled to encounter Charles Bukowski. He was a working man's poet, a poet of no pretense or luxury, a poet for real people in struggle with the world and with themselves. He was often too dark for me, though, and too profane-- but I'll always love him.
I have often wondered if Ham on Rye is tongue in cheek, he is the ham playing it up and rye is his drink. Nevertheless, Women is one of my favorite novels and your doc has reminded of how much I truly enjoyed his writing. I will dive back into his works. Thanks.
I chanced upon your channel and found it so very interesting as I’ve vaguely heard of this writer but I’m fascinated by him from listening to you, I’d appreciate some books you’d suggest for a beginner 🙏
I would start with Post Office, then Factotum and then either Women or Ham on Rye, of you could try any of his poetry it's all very easy to read, yet profound at the same time.
i started with his shortstories, then novels, then lyrics. theres not a single weak line. i bought everything available published. even read the stuff he mentioned in his writings.
I have a fiend who lived in LA for a few years. He attended Bukowski's' reading late in his career when he had found/encountered success. Bukowski would walk onto the stage with a six pack of beer in cans. He would sit with his material on his lap and the six on the floor next to him. He looked a shambling wreck and that was part of his performance. Few people knew that, when he left, he would walk 4 blocks to where he had parked his Mercedes
I love Bukowski's work, to the point I must buy a new book of his every year to acquire more of his insights to his life and character. being a writer and poet myself with a few "kinks" in my head myself, I was told to stop reading him so thoroughly or risk emulating him. I don't wish to, but if they meant his love of drink, cats and women, I carry the traits very well. my favourite poem of his that shows his most tender side is "raw with love" I had gone through a breakup 2 years ago and related heavily to the words this often misintrepreted man had put on paper.
A very insightful meditation on Charles Bukowski's life and work, Professor Yorston. Like you, I really love his writing. I regard Bukowski as a profound, and yet wonderfully funny writer. We can all relate to what Hank says about the pain of living, the losses of everything we love in life, and how memories of a broken and cruel family can irrevocably scar and haunt the psyche. What do you think? I believe writing saved his life. His poems and stories helped Bukowski make sense of his own life, giving it meaning, despite the terrible drudgery of dead-end jobs and countless disappointments he experienced. As you know, one of the pleasures of Bukowski is that he's so quotable. In one short poem, Bukowski reflects that "writing is the ultimate psychiatrist, the kindliest god of all gods." In the Bukowski Tapes, I remember Hank talking about keeping the inner flame alive: "then something else in me said, no, save the tiniest bit. / it needn't be much, just a spark." You never let it die, Hank.
Great video! It brought back lots of happy memories for me; I read all of Charles Bukowski’s books and poems in my early twenties when I was backpacking across America. I even remember being in that bar “Bukowski” which I believe is in Boston.
Ive read several of Bukowski's books. My favorite poem is "Dinosauria, We" I first heard the poem in a music video on RUclips. Fasinating, tortured man
I count Bukowski among my favorite and most beloved authors. I’m a woman, and a writer, and I can see both sides of his character. Yes, he had definitely misogynistic traits and behaviors. He was also a deeply thoughtful and unflinchingly honest man.
I am from Croatia,i discovered Bukowski in the 80s, i was a teenager then. I loved the dirty talk,but i loved his dry humour more, short sentences, dark jokes,every one direct into bullseye. POST OFFICE was my first,but my favorites are HAM ON RYE (in Yugoslavia it was under the name PRODIGAL SON) and FACTOTUM. I tried PULP, but wasn't in the mood to finish it. I will try another time. Too bad i never read his novels in English. Croatian translation is so-so, i must admit that the Serbs did better work translating him, better slang and the right editing, not a word that you don't need.
I'm a fan and became one after reading Factotum - many years ago. And I'm so pleased he didn't turn out to be a monster like Steinbeck, who unlike Bukowski was born with with a silver spoon in his mouth. Poor man had a horrible start in life but he evidently kept his humanity along with a probably life-saving cynical sense of humour, which comes through in his writing. I haven't read the Post Office, but will do so now.
Well, respectfully, he ended up in a nice house with a good wife, driving a BMW, and remember the Hollywood novel; eating swordfish with french fries at Musso & Frank 🙏 God bless
10 months of sobriety here after 18 years of addiction. Buk was/is a hero of mine, but I definitely romanticised my alcoholism with artists like himself, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Waits etc. I only learned this year that my own violent childhood ingrained significant trauma causing the debilitating panic attacks & depression I later masked with substances. I wish people like Buk had an opportunity to learn about such things. Poor guy was far gentler than he'd have the world believe
Well done on your own journey, I agree about Buk.
Waits gained wisdom in his middle age. “There ain't nothing funny about being a drunk," he observed, looking back. "You know, I was really starting to believe there was something amusing and wonderfully American about a drunk. I ended up telling myself to cut that shit out."
@dewanevl Also encouraging that he only became fascinatingly stranger in his sobriety 😂🙌
@@trevscribbles One might credit his wife Kathleen Brennan with that as well as his sobriety. He really is a role model, you can survive and thrive in this world being a bit of an outsider and making it work.
@dewanevl As an Irishman, we proudly credit Kathleen her dues for sure 🖤
Bukowski didn’t just document the lowest among us but he wrote about society and its hypocrisy. He did it with style and wit. How can you hate this man? I can’t. He hasn’t done anything worthy of hate. He may have redeemed himself with writing. Great writing.
I agree.
Loved Bukowski since a child until way over my Philosohy Degree. I'm most likely one of the few portuguese 42 year old men that craves for the raw of his brillance. I often think to myself when i see some old, marked by hard lifes, raw wisdom, lonely old men in small portuguese bars: there could be a "line" of completelly unknow genious like him but society just look at them as poor drunks. Not me. And i go further, i can say with a certain feel of assertivity that i've learn more by talking to random old calm quiet "drunks" at a small local tabern than in many classes in college or with converseations totally blend with people that love to brag about their education.
Absolutely loved the way you aproached Bukowski.
Great job! Greetins from a tiny island on the Azores, Portugal.
I agree - there is book learning and there is wisdom - people who have had it hard often have a lot of wisdom. I've never been to The Azores, but it's on my bucket list.
Heading home on a cross-country road trip -- Travelling through a smaller, but well known, hot, dry tourist border town on the Cali-Arizona border, (Needles)...I drove around, just checking the town out. Took a picture of a route 66/ Elvis Presley mural on a deserted building wall. Good ol' Americana.
I decided to stop by a little, odd store on a little odd lot. Had "jerky" signs on the window. Unusual, odd little things will attract me.
Turns out I stayed over an hour, talking to this 82 yr. old guy behind the "counter".
He was a gold mine. Knew so much history, and science I was floored. He was an encyclopedia. Had a very fascinating life. Told him he should write a book.
He had met General Schwarzkopf (who had an IQ of 170!)...
Worked on a Nuclear Submarine...had all these amazing jobs...was in the Navy if I recall correctly. He started explaining all kinds of things, physics, oceanography, the bs around "climate change", Elons starlink, etc...which went way over my head.
He could talk about any subject on earth, including religion, politics. My kinda' guy. 😁
I wish I could have recorded him. I wish I could have gone back...I wanted to know how the heck he ended up there - in that odd little, "nowhere" store that had bare shelves, and sold only jared olives, jerky, and dried fruit. (I don't think I will ever see such an odd little store like that again...with such an interesting man behind the 'counter'...It wasn't really a counter, more like a table, with a computer)...
but too far away from me to make it an easier trip.
Like I said, he was a gold mine.
It's amazing the kinds of people you can end up meeting out in the sort of, "middle of nowhere."
Regarding you, Dr. Yorston and Bukowski...."Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Love produces kindness and begets forgiveness. Your commentaries set an example and reminder to us all. Thank you.
Thank you.
Professor Yorston’s videos are always well researched, recorded and edited. His choice of subjects are easy (for me) to appreciate, but I especially enjoy his talks about writers. Fortunately most of his work is about them. Thanks again .
Glad you like them!
Love Bukowski: Thanks for this sensitive, deep going evaluation. Much appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Amazing that he could turn all that pain into entertaining others with his writing. Thanks for this video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh yes! He is one of my old favourites too. I have spent much time in his murky world. Even if one does not want to take part in his world one can’t say that it weren’t beautifully described. Your channel is a lovely place to spend my time, Professor. Thank you from Norway.
Btw. I think that Celine also would have been an interesting subject for a portrait. I have read him as well, but with less enthusiasm than old Hank..
I agree, Celine doesn't have the lightness of touch that Bukowski brings.
I am a fan of his fiction and poetry. I agree that his genius is the ability to find the sublime in very dark corners.
He does it like no one else.
Luv the Buk. My first was Factotum. Tom Waits' songs are auditory equivalents.
Writing is one of the jobs you can have where you can work around your alcoholism. Loved the quote on the billboard at the end.
He also managed 10 years at the post office and he didn't have much time off.
You and I must share a brain I think sometimes. Love Bukowski. Went down the rabbit hole of his work years ago and read all the novels and many of the poems. All the documentaries were good, but THE BUKOWSKI TAPES and BORN INTO THIS were the best.
I haven't seen Born into This - I'll look it out.
10 months is a long time congratulations! I’m six years sober and all I can say is it only gets worse.
Professor Yorston, I truly enjoyed your video about Charles Bukowski. He was a simple and complex man at the same time. He had his demons, but he was also found to be lovable and could love in return. He lived life on his own terms. I guess you could say he was a genuine creative. I'm pleased he finally found success and was able to share his voice with so many.
Well said!
To Lisa; may I say that rather than living life on his terms, Bukowski lived life in spite of life's terms.
to Caroline,
yes, & in spite of the alcohol!
One night in 1980 I went to visit my friend Dianne in West Hollywood. She let me in and told me she was going clubbing and she introduced me to woman named Linda, who had just opened a bottle of cheap wine. Dianne left, Linda and I drank wine and made small talk. She informed me that she was companion to Charles Bukowski, a writer, had I heard of him? "You mean the dude who writes Notes of a Dirty Old Man in the L.A.Free Press?" I asked. Yes, him, she said. I told her I was a prude and had never read the column and she laughed. She told me that he had written several books and I should go to the library and check him out. We were both a bit drunk when I excused myself and went out to find a place to sleep (I was homeless). The next day I was exiled from the library for laughing uncontrollably. Chuck had given his last reading that year in Redondo Beach. The Bukowskis were living in San Pedro, next to Long Beach, that year. Charles Bukowski is my favorite writer and taught me more about self-acceptance and writing than anybody else AND he has made me laugh, a lot.
Great memories - I love that he got you thrown out of the library for laughing.
I am from New Orleans and had an apartment on Royal Street, in the French Quarter. There was a bar called the Royal Street Inn that had a room dedicated to him and outside, a slab of concrete that had ‘Hank ‘55’ inscribed on it by him.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.” -Bukowski
Sounds like he gave it a go in New Orleans!
❤
Always excited to enjoy your latest work,saving it for a quiet time.
Hope you enjoy it!
Great video! I discovered Ham on Rye in my early 20's and identified immediately--I had cystic acne for 15 years and, boy, not only does it make you feel like a freakish outcast, it also makes you inhibited and pretty much detest everyone who has perfect skin and teeth. So you start drinking; NOT a solution of course, but for a while it makes you indifferent to what other people think of your appearance, financial status, etc. What I love about Bukowski is that, in his work, you read about people and situations that make you say "I've met that type before" or "Yep, I've been there." My favorite line of his comes from a poem (I wish I could remember the title) where he's driving to the track in his new BMW, musing on his fame and fortune and he writes how he's gone "From idiot to successful idiot." I love that line; he never stopped doing what he'd always done, had a sense of humor about himself, and innately knew that chance (meeting John Martin) was what changed his circumstances--there's no "I'm a self-made success!" crap you see from social media-types these days.
I agree, I think it is what makes him so enjoyable to read.
One of my favourite writers, thank you. I was first a bit puzzled by your pronunciation of his name bc I never realised that pronounce it German.
Bukowski wrote some wonderful love poems (like 'Eulogy To A Hell Of A Dame')
His poem on creativity is awesome:
"air and light and time and space
'- you know, I've either had a family, a job, something
has always been in the
way
but now
I've sold my house, I've found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I'm going to have a place and
the time to
create.'
no baby, if you're going to create
you're going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you're going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you're on
welfare,
you're going to create with part of your mind and your
body blown
away,
you're going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you're going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquakes, bombardment,
flood and fire.
baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don't create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for."
Fantastic stuff.
Thanks for this video! I haven't read any Bukowski but I've wanted to for a long time!
Thank you, do give him a go - Post Office is a good place to start -but be prepared his world isn't a pretty one!
Thank you so very, very much for making this video available to us.
Fairly much by accident, I learned of Charles Bukowski just last week. Then, I looked him up on Google and searched out content on RUclips about him and his work. Over Christmas (2024) I have taken a number of his books from the public library, and "Ham on Rye" is the first one I'm reading. What an utterly fascinating man and book. "Ham on Rye" is proving to be so readable, clearly and honestly written and written without self-censoring filters. Combining this book with other biographical information found elsewhere, "Ham on Rye" appears to be a clear lens into Mr. Bukowski's life.
Yours is one of the clearest and most insightful videos I've seen on RUclips regarding this complex man, and I have learned so much from it. Thank you again, best wishes and warmest regards from Toronto, Canada. (Liked and Subscribed.)
Thank you and welcome aboard.
The psychological and sociological aspects of his writing, to me, are at the core of my interest in his work. Longing for love, relieved when it leaves, and then opening the door to connection when the dust settles. The drudgery and pointlessness of the 9-5 death march, and the struggle to squeeze one's own passion into the remaining hours of a day. Regardless of the subject matter, he wound layers of fiction around emotional and mental truths. exposing an acute sensitivity to the realities of being human.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
Very nicely done video. Fascinating. I was always a fan of Bukowski. His writings give meaning to a rough and tumble, pedestrian view of life.
Thank you.
You reminded me that I need read some more Bukowski. Thanks
Hope you enjoy it.
That was fascinating, especially the relation between alcohol and art. My dad was a serious alcoholic and it carried with me forever. Thank you for your enlightening analysis. I’m a big fan of your work.
Thank you.
Good job on this admirably even-handed accounting, Professor Yorston. Bukowski taught me the lesson that the more honest you are about the plain facts, the more there is to write about, and the better your story will be. I can't say that about any other writer.
Thank you.
I discovered Bukowski about 15 years ago, I’m trying to read most of his poems, reading a couple every night. His poems are different, real life observations about real people and real emotions
Nice way to end the day.
An incredible film, I’ve always wanted to find out more about Charles Bukowski and stumbled upon this. Great work.
Thank you.
Can't get enough about Bukowski. I don't know why but the man intrigues me. Perhaps I find myself in his vision. It's like I see myself in 3rd person when reading his stories. Until my late thirties I've read zero books, now I'm all into literature. My big heroes are Bukowski (of course) and the Dutch writer Herman Brusselmans. Perhaps I might write a book myself one day. Or become a professor. Or nothing. Well, guess I'll just enjoy the weekend now. Thanks for this great video. 👍
Thanks, I don't know Brusselmans but I'll have a look at his work.
Thank you.
You're welcome!
You arrived in my feed on u tube today, what a good thing. Subbed
Welcome aboard!
I was happy to watch another of your gems. As I commented previously, your knowledge and narration make them the more enjoyable. Asante!
Karibu. Glad you enjoyed it!
@@professorgraemeyorston Sana!
Thank you Prof. for your bio doc on Mr Bukowski. Your presentations always come across in an honest, unbiased & fair manner. I wonder whether Mr Bukowski ever knew he had a lovely strong face, weathered as in a true map of his life, character-filled! - I’m looking forward to reading “Post Office” ❣️
Hope you enjoy it.
A fascinating documentary. Many thanks.
Thanks for watching.
OK, on the basis of your recommendationtion, Dr, I just got hold of a copy of Post Office. Intrigued enough after skimming the initial pages to dive right in. I'm glad I found your channel. It's refreshing, I needed this...
Hope you enjoy it.
It's also on RUclips as audiobook. Factotum is good too.
I'm a big fan- have all those black sparrow books- I loved your video and think its about the best of all the documentaries about Bukowski - you offer a very fresh and sober appraisal - deeply thoughtful - great work! thank you!
Thank you - I'm jealous of your black sparrow collection!
I saw your Van Gogh vid, and now your talking about my favorite writer. Thank you.
Glad to be of service!
I discovered him seven years ago and found his poetry brutal, romantic and inspiring.
And funny at times.
Thank you, Professor Yorston.
You are very welcome
AHHHH thank you for this video sir
Hope you enjoy it.
love your channel, love Bukowski, perfect combo, his books a great, and he is one of the influences on me writing my poetry book.
Thank you.
Enjoyed this episode very much. Thanks for the insights into Bukowski’s interesting life.
Glad you enjoyed it.
My late father was a postal worker in Detroit/Grosse Pointe, starting not too long after WWII; he retired in in the early 1980s. So "Post Office" sounds to me like a good book in which to start an acquainted with his work. Thank you!
I hope he had a better time in his job than Buk did.
@@professorgraemeyorston well, he stuck with it. He was a charmer, but traumatized by the Great Depression (poor, got farmed out to foster care, et al) & serving as a gunny sgt. on a B-24 in the Pacific. Back when he & Buk worked there, a carrier also did sorting. I think he & Buk would've gotten along, though. The most interesting thing he ever told me about his route was that he carried mail to the Giacalones, the controller of the Mafia in Detroit. The area where they lived would be considered "posh" in the UK.
@@professorgraemeyorston OH, and right after I typed my first comment, I ordered a paperback copy online!
I suppose my early introduction to the American literary gendre was coloured by E E Cummings whose work offended my sense of grammatical accuracy and symmetry. So beyond the 20th century classics and a teenage period of angst reading of Salenger, I have eschewed our colonial literary cousins. That is until your literary 'mentoring introduced me to The Dharma Bums by Kerouac, and now World of Books holds an order for Bukowski's Post Office! Having been described as mercurial when younger and having a form of manic, suicidal depression as a teenager, my formative reading was thus locked on Scandinavian noire, Hamlet and Macbeth etc., so thank your for your curating enlightenment. Rob
Hope you enjoy Post Office - it's not Shakespeare!
Really enjoyed this one. I’d never heard of him. Fascinating. Thank you
Glad to have introduced you.
Excellent presentation. Very informative and fair-minded. I am a fan of Bukowski, mainly because of the humor in his writing.
He is one of the few writers that makes laugh out loud.
I had the opportunity to attend one of his readings. It was an experience I'll never forget.
Wow, lucky you.
Loved this guy
He feels life
He writes about working in factories and warehouses. He writes about the deadening effects of a government job.
He was a breath of fresh air with his simple language and down to earth stories.
Have read all his stuff. Worked for many years in factories and can relate to his stories.
Great video. I love Bukowski. I think he explains himself best in the poem 'Bluebird'. I know there's a lot of self-mythologising in his story, but every time I re-connect with his work, he makes me want to tell the truth in my own life. I can't think of any other artist who has that effect on me.
Yes, I know what you mean.
I really enjoy your objective videos of subjects and vintage photos!
Thank you! I do spend a lot of time finding the pictures as well as researching the subject.
I have always hated Bukowski, his writing turned me all the way off. I needed to see this, it just takes looking at him from different angles to appreciate him as an artist. He reminds me so much of men in my life who have been so difficult to love, I can see now that is why he repulsed me. Not sure if I’m going to pick up his work, but I will be more empathetic if I do decide to read something of his. Thank you for this loving tribute, I am a changed woman.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow crazy that you dislike him so and I adore him. To me it wasn’t so much of writing about real life but his personal eye about it. It made life more tolerable for me and actually forced me to have a more tender relationship with it(life). Dig your honesty. Thanks for this video ❤
@ Oh man, since I watched this I’ve been down the Bukowski rabbit hole. One For The Shoeshine Man set my soul on fire, I clearly never gave the man a proper chance.
Thank you for this amazing research, highly enjoyed it.
THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks for watching.
Thanks so much for this very comprehensive and insightful review of one of my favourite writers. Much appreciated. Thoughtful, kind and clear-headed.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am rereading Ham On Rye right now and Buk never lets me down. If anything, he remains underrated as a novelist after all these years.
I agree, everyone should know Bukowski's writing.
I had realised his parents were a big problem to him. Hadn't realised how bad they were, though! I've read quite a lot of Bukowski, novels, short stories, and poetry. Very memorable to me. I don't feel his work is problematic anymore than any other historical artist. An artists work is made up of a combination of their time and place in history and their psyche. I have never found offence in his work, he is revealing "himself, " his pain and possibly self loathing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it and it's interesting to hear how other people view his work.
Thanks again for quality content ❤
Glad you enjoy it!
I find the talks on writers most interesting. Steinbeck was such a different person than I had imagined. I loved the Steinbeck museum in Salinas. Well worth a visit.
I think I could spend a year doing a literary tour of the US.
Thank you for the company. Love to listen while working, about people that, I sometimes know a little about, or maybe just know the names but not know the person, and my mind gets blown. Very interesting and well explained and narrated. I know you've said in past video's to mention a personality that we'd like to hear about. Well I'd love to know more about Erik Satie, who seems to have been somewhat of an oddball with all his own weird paranoia's.. Thank you Professor Yorston..
What a coincidence - Satie will be the next video - fascinatingly quirky!
@@professorgraemeyorston omg thats amazing.. 👍
Thank you Professor. I greatly value your analysis and the precision of your statements. 🙏🏻
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Now I need to read one of his books and some of his poetry.
Please do, you won't be disappointed.
I loved this video. Interesting and compassionate exploration of a fascinating writer and person. In depth exploration that utilizes compassion instead of criticism as the primary method of the analysis.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I want to thank you for your wonderful perspective. It is always very gripping and insightful, please continue to make these wonderful works
Thank you! Will do!
Years ago, when Bukowski was still alive, I got to know his doctor a bit. He disliked the poet thoroughly and thought he was an awful person. He had never read any of his work and was surprised when I told him I saw quite a bit of humanity in the man (whom I never met) when I viewed him through his writing. Whether or not I persuaded the doctor to pick up a volume of Bukowski I'll never know.
Interesting - Buk wasn't keen on authority figures, so if his doctor tried to tell him what to do I'm sure Buk would have told what he thought.
I am a writer who was a psych nurse practitioner for many years… I enjoy your videos… Have you done one on Raymond Carver? If not, you might find him fascinating too😊
Not yet! But he's on the list.
@@professorgraemeyorston cool, troubled soul who expanded the definition of literary through his works....
Steinbeck, Hemingway, Bukowski, Kerouac - you’ve hit upon many of the famous American writers who had king-sized drinking problems. As a recovering alcoholic I’ve studied their lives closely and didn’t think I could learn more, but your research is stunning and I’ve always gained additional insight. Hope you can do something about Raymond Carver sometime, whose story is more hopeful and who did his best writing after he quit drinking (although Buk’s story is very hopeful as well, as you note at the end of this video piece).
Thank you, yes, Carver is on the list.
I find Kerouac incredibly boring, personally.
Fantastic insights in this video of Charles Bukowski. I see him as a cross between George Best and Spike Milligan; talented and fun-loving and a bit crazy. His prolific output is all the more impressive given that he had so many years of rejection and obscurity.
Thank you.
Nice. Well what strikes me about Bukowskis life, he never gave up! And the most fantastic thing, his love for his daughter.
He never gave up on his writing and I think deep down he was quite an old-fashioned-morals kind of guy - at least when he was sober.
@@professorgraemeyorston No. I dont think so man. He was sort of a new man out of despire. Not confined in our understanding. The legasy he left is wast. One thing is: the drink. I genualy dont think that he wrote more bas with it. probably it was fester to his caracter.
Nice work. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Post Office and Factotum are my favorite Bukowski novels.
Do try the others if you haven't already.
Factotum is awesome.
thank you for an excellent overview of Bukowski!🙏
Glad you enjoyed it.
I appreciated your approach toward Bukowski. I tend to dislike self-torturing male artists who abuse self-hating women, but your soothing voice and scholarly tone allowed me to learn. I found Bar Fly too tragically frustrating to watch to the end. I'm not sure if I could handle one of his novels.
The novels are much funnier and I think much better than the movie.
This guy interests me. We all have low life aspects of ourselves. I had a rough upbringing, moved around went to 16 schools😮 had to fight as i was welcomed to each new playground but being good at sports and being reasonably.popular among girls as well it always settled down. To have physical disfigurement makes being accepted far more problematic
Never judge people on status or appearance, let em talk youll almost always find something interesting underneath all the scars life gives us
Here's to you all, remember to enjoy the good moments 👍😉
Well said.
I was thrilled to encounter Charles Bukowski. He was a working man's poet, a poet of no pretense or luxury, a poet for real people in struggle with the world and with themselves.
He was often too dark for me, though, and too profane-- but I'll always love him.
I agree.
A million thanks
Greetings from Cyprus
Glad you enjoyed it.
I have often wondered if Ham on Rye is tongue in cheek, he is the ham playing it up and rye is his drink. Nevertheless, Women is one of my favorite novels and your doc has reminded of how much I truly enjoyed his writing. I will dive back into his works. Thanks.
Yes, I think he does ham things up a bit at times, but only a bit, his youth was pretty bleak.
I love your work .Thank You 🤗
You are so welcome
I chanced upon your channel and found it so very interesting as I’ve vaguely heard of this writer but I’m fascinated by him from listening to you, I’d appreciate some books you’d suggest for a beginner 🙏
I would start with Post Office, then Factotum and then either Women or Ham on Rye, of you could try any of his poetry it's all very easy to read, yet profound at the same time.
@ Thanks so much 🙏
Totally enjoyed ! And looking over your shoulder at books 😉
Glad you enjoyed it!
Bukowski rocks! I love his writing! 🎉
Couldn't agree more.
i started with his shortstories, then novels, then lyrics. theres not a single weak line. i bought everything available published. even read the stuff he mentioned in his writings.
There are still some of his works I haven't read, but I also launched myself into Celine, Fante, Hamsun etc.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.”
Then you'll die happy!
Thank you Sir for this
Thanks for watching.
I have a fiend who lived in LA for a few years. He attended Bukowski's' reading late in his career when he had found/encountered success. Bukowski would walk onto the stage with a six pack of beer in cans. He would sit with his material on his lap and the six on the floor next to him. He looked a shambling wreck and that was part of his performance. Few people knew that, when he left, he would walk 4 blocks to where he had parked his Mercedes
I agree he probably laid it on a bit at times.
one of the few modern poets worth reading
I love his immediacy and everyday language that still manages to say profound things.
I love Bukowski's work, to the point I must buy a new book of his every year to acquire more of his insights to his life and character. being a writer and poet myself with a few "kinks" in my head myself, I was told to stop reading him so thoroughly or risk emulating him. I don't wish to, but if they meant his love of drink, cats and women, I carry the traits very well. my favourite poem of his that shows his most tender side is "raw with love" I had gone through a breakup 2 years ago and related heavily to the words this often misintrepreted man had put on paper.
I know the feeling, my collection is expanding too.
A very insightful meditation on Charles Bukowski's life and work, Professor Yorston. Like you, I really love his writing. I regard Bukowski as a profound, and yet wonderfully funny writer. We can all relate to what Hank says about the pain of living, the losses of everything we love in life, and how memories of a broken and cruel family can irrevocably scar and haunt the psyche. What do you think? I believe writing saved his life. His poems and stories helped Bukowski make sense of his own life, giving it meaning, despite the terrible drudgery of dead-end jobs and countless disappointments he experienced. As you know, one of the pleasures of Bukowski is that he's so quotable. In one short poem, Bukowski reflects that "writing is the ultimate psychiatrist, the kindliest god of all gods." In the Bukowski Tapes, I remember Hank talking about keeping the inner flame alive: "then something else in me said, no, save the tiniest bit. / it needn't be much, just a spark." You never let it die, Hank.
Yes, I think you're right, without the writing, I think the booze would have won.
Thank you 😢
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great video! It brought back lots of happy memories for me; I read all of Charles Bukowski’s books and poems in my early twenties when I was backpacking across America. I even remember being in that bar “Bukowski” which I believe is in Boston.
Fantastic, I have to say, rereading some of his work for this video, brought back a few memories of my own.
Ive read several of Bukowski's books. My favorite poem is "Dinosauria, We" I first heard the poem in a music video on RUclips. Fasinating, tortured man
Great poem.
This,dear Sir is a gem in the rough...
He was indeed.
I count Bukowski among my favorite and most beloved authors. I’m a woman, and a writer, and I can see both sides of his character. Yes, he had definitely misogynistic traits and behaviors. He was also a deeply thoughtful and unflinchingly honest man.
I agree.
What do you mean, misogynistic, why would he be that way, and what made you think he was?
Brilliant Prof., love your work. ☘️🇦🇺
Many thanks!
A Champion of the creative process.
He was indeed.
It's a great program. Like you, I'm a fan, and it's always nice to hear a little more about "Hank." Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am from Croatia,i discovered Bukowski in the 80s, i was a teenager then. I loved the dirty talk,but i loved his dry humour more, short sentences, dark jokes,every one direct into bullseye. POST OFFICE was my first,but my favorites are HAM ON RYE (in Yugoslavia it was under the name PRODIGAL SON) and FACTOTUM. I tried PULP, but wasn't in the mood to finish it. I will try another time. Too bad i never read his novels in English. Croatian translation is so-so, i must admit that the Serbs did better work translating him, better slang and the right editing, not a word that you don't need.
Good to know that his work is still enjoyable in other languages.
Read them in English. It's worth it.
Thank you. I do appreciate these videos, and should check into this writer, as I haven't come across him much at all.
Please do! He's very easy to read but at the same time profound.
These profiles are excellent thank you for doing them.
Awesome advice! 'Don't try'
Seems like a less stressful way to go in life...
Yes, it's very zen!
I admire anyone who can write after a fifth. I can't type when I'm sober.
He generally wrote the next day, after a good sleep!
@@professorgraemeyorstonjust as impressive!
I'm a fan and became one after reading Factotum - many years ago. And I'm so pleased he didn't turn out to be a monster like Steinbeck, who unlike Bukowski was born with with a silver spoon in his mouth. Poor man had a horrible start in life but he evidently kept his humanity along with a probably life-saving cynical sense of humour, which comes through in his writing. I haven't read the Post Office, but will do so now.
Now that you mention it, I'm glad too that although he was a bit of a rascal, he had a big heart.
Gotta admit, wish I hadn’t watched the Steinbeck piece.
Poor old buk never got any luck. Thank god he managed to get his work out there eventually. What a gift he left the world.
It just shows how important it is to keep trying.
@@professorgraemeyorston Don’t try. 😉♥️
Well, respectfully, he ended up in a nice house with a good wife, driving a BMW, and remember the Hollywood novel; eating swordfish with french fries at Musso & Frank 🙏 God bless
Thank you. I love your channel.
Glad you enjoy it!