Charles Bukowski - (1920-1994)
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By James MornerSan Pedro High School in San Pedro, California
Read another essay on Charles Bukowski written by California student
Stevie Bell.I. Biography
Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany in 1920. When he was three years old, his family decided to immigrate to America. He grew up in California. He started writing from an early age. Between 1939 and 1941, he attended Los Angeles City College. He settled in Santa Barbara. During this time, he quit writing and went to work. For about ten years he did odd jobs and for another ten years he worked in the United States Post Office. The moment that he quit his Post Office job, he began writing again. That job is what brought him to the brink of insanity and death. Bukowski uses these two major topics in his writing. He later moved to San Pedro where he resided until his death on March 9, 1994. He was considered an underground writer for his clever short stories, poetry and novels.
When he was twenty-four, Bukowski published his first story. At the age of thirty-five, he began writing poetry. He published forty books of prose and poetry. The most recent novel that he wrote was Ham on Rye (Black Sparrow, 1982), a short story Hollywood (Black Sparrow, 1983), a book of poetry You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense (Black Sparrow, 1987) and most recently The Rooming house Madrigals: Early Selected Poems 1946-1966 (Black Sparrow, 1988). Most of his books have been translated into over a dozen languages. His stories and poems still appear in newspapers and magazines.
II. Literary Works
Ham on Rye is a novel that is dedicated to "All the Fathers." Bukowski reflects upon the relationship that he had with his father during childhood. This novel recounts Bukowski's childhood up to about the age of 21. It deals primarily with the relationships that he has with people and the types of decisions that he chooses to make with or against these acquaintances. I truly enjoyed reading this book. The author must have lead a rough life. I found the book easy to read. Once I picked the book up, I didn't put it down until I was finished.
Hollywood deals with Bukowski's autobiography and participation with the movie Barfly. You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense contains a poem entitled True. It's about a line from what Lorca said, "agony, aways agony." Rooming house Madrigals: Early Selected Poems 1946-1966 contains poems from various literary publications that are out-of-print. Bukowski discusses his life while writing the poems.
III. Los Angeles, California and Charles Bukowski
Bukowski wrote all of his novels in Los Angeles. He has numerous references of the Los Angeles area in the novel Ham on Rye.
Mt. Justin Jr. High - (P.91) the junior high school that he attended.
Bimini Street - (P.63) was where he went swimming with Red. Stretches from San Pedro to Los Angeles, mainly in a low-income neighborhood.
Golden State Creamery - (P.59) the milk truck that would deliver to the residents in the Los Angeles area.
Delsey Grammar - (P.45) the elementary school that he attended.
Pasadena - (P.10) was where Grandmother Emily lived. She would take the trolley to Los Angeles to visit them. There were the small streets in downtown and the ideal place as the "American Dream." Tourists walk up and down the ancient streets. It is where the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl take place.
Department Store - (P.201) was where he worked after he graduated from High School. It was a few blocks away from the school.
Los Angeles City College - (P.221) the college that he attended from 1939 to 1941. It is located in the middle of a community, where the campus offers a homey sense, but in a crummy kind of way.
Temple Street - (P.248) was where he found an apartment room in the Filipino district. Located in a poverty stricken neighborhood in Los Angeles.
Skid row - (P.274) he refers to the street. This is a very bad part of Los Angeles, where numerous homeless take refuge.
Penny Arcade - (P.277) was where he played the Mexican kid a boxing game just after World War II started
IV. Works by Charles Bukowski
Ham on Rye
Septuagenarian Stew: Stories and Poems
Hollywood
Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame
War All the Time: Poems, 1981-1984
Pulp
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
Women
Post Office: A Novel
Tales of Ordinary Madness (with Gail Chiarello, photographer)
Hot Water Music
Most Beautiful Woman in Town and Other Stories (with Gail Chiarello, contributor)
Mockingbird Wish Me Luck
The Rooming house Madrigals: Early Selected Poems 1946-1966
The Days Run Away Like Wild Horse over the Hills
Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
V. Sources
Bukowski, Charles. Ham on Rye. Black Sparrow Press. Santa Rosa, CA. 1982.
http://www.webmi.com/~hallmatt/personal/bukowski
This essay was submitted by a student of Grant Farley, a teacher at San Pedro High School in San Pedro, California.