by Charles Bukowski
richly deserves its critical reception, Charles Bukowski's FACTOTUM is a minimalist, deadpan, alcoholic memoirish piece of stripped down prose exploring a series of dead-end jobs and dead-end outcomes amidist skid row. somewhat in the tradition of Hemingway (see Hemingway's almost all-dialogue novel...
While I have read many books of poetry by Bukowski, this is my first time reading one of his actual novels, which I picked up on a whim. While I was reading, I took notes, because the things I wanted to bring up became too overwhelming for me to simply remember. Here are the things that really stood...
IMO, not as entertaining as Post Office. This is a modern picaresque, and in that way it is interesting. While I sometimes want to slap Bukowski/Chinaski, other times I want to hug him, and I always appreciate his honesty.
World War II, America and Henry Chinaski. This is Factotum. Charles Bukowski brings his alter ego, Henry Chinaski, back to life in this phenomenal work and with it, he puts himself and society on trial.A lot, perhaps too much, has been said about Bukowski and his work. While I truly enjoy his short ...
I read "Post Office" yesterday, and "Factotum" today. It's obvious that he honed his craft and became more comfortable with the format between his first and second novels. With that said, I think I preferred the rawer, and funnier, "Post Office." "Factotum," like "Post Office," had moments of brilli...
Fantastical story of working class boredom...
why? nearly pointless drivel.