Charles Bukowski
Post Office, Ham on Rye — Poet of the Working Class
The Barfly Leo
Charles Bukowski worked as a postal clerk for 11 years, drank prodigiously, and wrote with absolute honesty about failure, beauty, women, alcohol, and the peculiar dignity of losing. His ‘Dirty Old Man’ column in the LA Free Press ran for years and built a cult following. He published his first novel at 49. His Leo fire was so unmanageable it required alcohol to contain it.
Leo Legacy
- Post Office: 1971 debut novel at 49 — published by Black Sparrow Press
- Ham on Rye: 1982 autobiographical novel — his most personal and finest prose work
- Prolific poetry: Hundreds of poetry collections — the most important underground poet in America
- Barfly: 1987 film based on his life — screenplay written by Bukowski himself
Bukowski’s Leo truth was too raw for mainstream taste and too real to be ignored.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.”