In what order did you read Bukowski's novels?
- Thread starter christopher
- Start date
Novels:
Post Office
Ham on Rye
Women
Hollywood
Pulp
Currently reading Factotum
I've saved Factotum for last because I saw the movie about a year ago and was disappointed with it. So far the book is much better. Matt Dillon is no Henry Chinaski. He's not even Chinaski backwards.
I also read:
Love is a Dog From Hell (my favorite Buk read)
Ordinary Tales of Madness
Bring Me Your Love
There's No Business
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
Septuagenarian Stew
The Continual Condition
Post Office
Ham on Rye
Women
Hollywood
Pulp
Currently reading Factotum
I've saved Factotum for last because I saw the movie about a year ago and was disappointed with it. So far the book is much better. Matt Dillon is no Henry Chinaski. He's not even Chinaski backwards.
I also read:
Love is a Dog From Hell (my favorite Buk read)
Ordinary Tales of Madness
Bring Me Your Love
There's No Business
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
Septuagenarian Stew
The Continual Condition
Still haven't read Factotum left.
Kind of makes me sad that once I read it, I'll have no other Buk novels left to read. Except for them all, which I plan to re-read over and over.
Kind of makes me sad that once I read it, I'll have no other Buk novels left to read. Except for them all, which I plan to re-read over and over.
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
Yes, it is a bit like the day after xmas, but there are no more xmasses to come.... Have you read the short stories? Poems?
Let me try to reach through the fog of chemical damage and remember here...
1.Browsed "Run with the Hunted". Good start.
2.Women
3.Post Office- drank one of my first beers as a teenager reading this, and laughed my ass off all the way through.
4.Ham on Rye
5.Factotum
6.Notes of a Dirty Old Man-- I used Buk's story about attempting suicide with the gas oven for an acting class monologue. Went over pretty well.
7.Sifting through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way.
8.Roominghouse Madrigals.
9 Screams from the Balcony
10.War all the time.
11.More Notes of a Dirty old Man.
1.Browsed "Run with the Hunted". Good start.
2.Women
3.Post Office- drank one of my first beers as a teenager reading this, and laughed my ass off all the way through.
4.Ham on Rye
5.Factotum
6.Notes of a Dirty Old Man-- I used Buk's story about attempting suicide with the gas oven for an acting class monologue. Went over pretty well.
7.Sifting through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way.
8.Roominghouse Madrigals.
9 Screams from the Balcony
10.War all the time.
11.More Notes of a Dirty old Man.
A colleague brought Ham on Rye to work because he thought it would interest me. As soon as his grandmother told Hank and his parents she would "bury them all!" I knew I was going to buy the book. After that the list is as follows:
1. Post Office
2. Women
3. Pulp (by far the weakest of the lot)
4. Factotum
5. Hollywood
1. Post Office
2. Women
3. Pulp (by far the weakest of the lot)
4. Factotum
5. Hollywood
Initially I read them in order of publication and then on the second go round I read them at random. This time, I will read them sequentially: Ham On Rye, Factotum, Post Office, Women and Hollywood. I know Chinaski appears in some of Bukowski's short stories but not sure if they are part of the canon of the novels. Any thoughts on this?
Women
Post Office
Ham on Rye
Factotum (in progress)
I can definitely see the progress from earlier works to Ham on Rye -- looks like he wanted to spell out all the stuff he had implied about Chinaski's past and his nature in one book.
Waiting on copies of Pulp and Hollywood to arrive, so not sure. Probably do the latter next and end on his final book.
Sitting on a copy of his first book of poetry, but that will take a bit more determination; I'm not as big a fan of poetry.
Post Office
Ham on Rye
Factotum (in progress)
I can definitely see the progress from earlier works to Ham on Rye -- looks like he wanted to spell out all the stuff he had implied about Chinaski's past and his nature in one book.
Waiting on copies of Pulp and Hollywood to arrive, so not sure. Probably do the latter next and end on his final book.
Sitting on a copy of his first book of poetry, but that will take a bit more determination; I'm not as big a fan of poetry.
I read them in the order of publication, though I did so unintentionally. I mean, I only began reading him when I stole Post Office from a friend's bookcase.
- Post Office
(1971)
- Factotum
(1975)
- Women
(1978)
- Ham On Rye
(1982)
- Hollywood
(1989)
- Pulp
(1994)
I saw Born Into This a few months back and knew I had to read his stuff.
Read so far in this order:
Ham on Rye
Post office
Women.
I have Factotum, Hollywood and Pulp ready to go in this introductory phase. Can anyone recommend a book of Mr B's poetry I could sink my teeth into?
Read so far in this order:
Ham on Rye
Post office
Women.
I have Factotum, Hollywood and Pulp ready to go in this introductory phase. Can anyone recommend a book of Mr B's poetry I could sink my teeth into?
1. Post Office
2. Factotum
3. Pulp
4. Women
5. Ham of Rye
6. Hollywood
Poetry/short stories/letters, who knows. Just keep reading them over and over.
@Observation.B - For poetry you may want to start with Love is a Dog from Hell, The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills, or Mockingbird Wish Me Luck.
2. Factotum
3. Pulp
4. Women
5. Ham of Rye
6. Hollywood
Poetry/short stories/letters, who knows. Just keep reading them over and over.
@Observation.B - For poetry you may want to start with Love is a Dog from Hell, The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills, or Mockingbird Wish Me Luck.
mjp
Founding member
Any of the poetry collections up to and including Betting on the Muse.
Do yourself a big favor and steer clear of the rest of the posthumous collections.
@Observation.B , there's a handy poll where forum members voted for their favourite books...
Love Is A Dog From Hell got the most votes for poetry collections. Good place to start.
Love Is A Dog From Hell got the most votes for poetry collections. Good place to start.
Thanks guys. I will search for 'Love is a Dog From Hell'. Cheers.
I forgot to mention - That is one heck of a poll. I will endeavour to read as much as that as I can. I really dig his shit.
I forgot to mention - That is one heck of a poll. I will endeavour to read as much as that as I can. I really dig his shit.
No problem @Observation.B ...enjoy Love is a Dog From Hell.
You'll get this sort of thing when you ask for opinions, but I would consider Burning in Water Drowning in Flame to be his best volume of poetry. Then again, Love is a Dog... isn't far down the list for me, so maybe save a gem or two for later.
I will endeavour to read Burning in Water as well if I can find it. If I can't I expect you will send me a personalised copy with a round trip to las vegas. Haha bitches. No seriously I'd be just happy with a hard copy sent to my door for all the effort I've put into signing into this god damn site. God owes me one.
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zobraks
Moderator