Bukowski and the sun

[Danny Mac]

Buk mentions the sun 1446 times in 37 of his books (both novels and poem collections). I´m sure the count would be much higher if all of his books were included.

Who did all of this counting? This is amazing that someone took the time to do this. It just goes to show that Dora is obviously on to something. Someone could write a thesis on this subject for sure.

I've got one more 'Sun' for you. This is from "Mocking Bird Wish Me Luck" from page 67, the golfers

about 1/2 way down.

I drive on and start singing
making up the sound
a war chant
and there is the sun
and the sun says, good, I know you
and the steering wheel is humorous
and the dashboard laughs

 

[Bukfan]

Who did all of this counting? This is amazing that someone took the time to do this.

I have a PDF version of the books so I just searched for the word "sun" and it came up 1446 times in 37 of the books. Had I included all the books the count would have been higher.

I've got one more 'Sun' for you. This is from "Mocking Bird Wish Me Luck" from page 67, the golfers

All "suns" from Mocking Bird are included in the 1446 count, but thanks anyway.

 

[Black Swan]

I once looked up how many times Bukowski had used words describing colours in his poetry and novels ( about 40 of those books). Different colours were mentioned at least 10,oo0 times. Red alone, over 6,000 times. That was just searching the primary colours, plus white and black.
That is not counting the small publications. He was quite a colourist.

 

[Black Swan]

It would be a good subject for an essay, looking at his work, as a painter.

 

[Dora]

I even taught my kids to say "Hello sunlight, here I am!" every time they see it.
They look at me kinda strange, the oldest one, not the youngest. He loves it.

I´m so stealing that idea from you.
Just seconds before reading this, I was outside, there was a beautiful sunshine, and I pondered on the idea that were is no plural to the word "sun", that it was the same very sun that looked over our ancestors, over dinosaurs, and so on. It's a bit weird when you think of that *off-topic off*

I also have difficulties catching up on the sun thread because I just moved out and have no internet at home. Meanwhile we're still waiting for Roni to show up. He's got some news as well.

 

[Dora]

My favourite approximate quote, from "burning in Water Drowning in Flame": Pink sun,pink sun/ I hate your holiness

To go with what Winston said:there seems to be indeed a constant personnification of the sun. Even from a mere grammatical point of view, it is often the subject of a sentence, being "tired", "doing" things... That's very interesting.

Black Swan: your colour search makes so much sense! I did notice an obsession for the colour red. I can't remember if which novel (maybe Pulp) this colour pops out so many times, it's like having a text with spots of blood all over it...

Not sure one can write a whole thesis on the sun alone, but an essay, definitely. There was another thread on this forum where Erik wondered why all the essays on Bukowski in school must revolve around women. Or sometimes, the father figure. We wondered what other essay topics there could be.
Because there ARE recurring words and images in Bukowski's poetry that you end up noticing. As BS said, primary colours. Danny Mac on another thread: windows. Now the sun.

On top of my head, one could also write on: flowers, roses, cats, blood, blank and/or dead faces, anal functions (yes indeed) psychic cannibalism, rooms etc. Stuff that are very present but are not as obvious (well, ok, cats are obvious...)
Mind you, I could even give you a pompous title to work with: "Flowers, sun and moon: the subversion of romantic tropes in Charles Bukowski's poetry". Now I need to find victims students to do the job for me :)

 

[David]

I even taught my kids to say "Hello sunlight, here I am!" every time they see it.
They look at me kinda strange, the oldest one, not the youngest. He loves it.
Mind, you it doesn't happen all that often this time of year. Especially this year.
Maybe we should start saying "Hello darkness. here I am."

And as I recall from my adolescence, Simon and Garfunkel said "Hello darkness my old friend..."

 

[Bukfan]

One could also write an essay about the color yellow, his favorite color, which appears 460 times in 37 of his books. He only mentions the "yellow sun" 6 times, but maybe writing about a yellow sun would often be redundant since we all know the sun is yellow. :hmh:

 

[Erik]

Just seconds before reading this, I was outside, there was a beautiful sunshine, and I pondered on the idea that were is no plural to the word "sun", that it was the same very sun that looked over our ancestors, over dinosaurs, and so on. It's a bit weird when you think of that *off-topic off*

That Lucky Old Sun:

Up in the mornin', out on the job
Work like the devil for my pay
But that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around Heaven all day

Fuss with my woman, toil for my kids
Sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray
While that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around Heaven all day

Good Lord, up above, can't you know I'm pinin'
Tears all in my eyes?
Send down that cloud with a silver linin'
Lift me to Paradise

Show me that river, take me across
And wash all my troubles away
Like that lucky old sun, give me nothin' to do
But roll around Heaven all day

Songwriters
GILLESPIE, HAVEN/SMITH, BEASLEY

 

[Ponder]

yellow & sun

In the bio on Buk, written by Gay Brewer, I found in the chapter Early Poems, page 101

From All-Yellow Flowers:

she went on singing but I wanted to die
I wanted yellow flowers like her golden hair
I wanted yellow-singing and the sun.
this is true, and that is what makes it so strange:
I wanted to be opened and untangled, and
tossed away. (Days, 49)

http://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?WorkNumber=524

 

[Danny Mac]

I just got done reading 'Wait Until Spring Bandini' and it had a sun line in it and so I thought I would type it here. We all know how much Buk loved Fante, a new friend out of nowhere. page 225.

"At noon he strolled to the baseball diamond. Since Christmas no snow had fallen. The sun was furious, yellow with rage in the sky, avenging himself upon a mountain world that had slept and frozen in his absence."

This book was fantastic.

 

[BukFan Brad]

Read 2 poems by Jeffers today (never read him before) and I liked what I read - the way he draws on nature to bring humanity down to size - there's something prognostic about this. He came across more politically than the way Bukowski described him in his writing.