"Sorry, Bukowski" by Andrea Moser

[poptop]

A better test

A story on hackwriters.com Ive read and enjoyed and fiqured you folks would get a kick out of as well: http://www.hackwriters.com/Bukowskisorrows.htm

I would have chanced it that most publishers hadn't read "The Most Beautiful Woman in Town" and sent it in rather than one of Bukowski's lesser efforts. TMBWIT is one of his most evocative stories. You read about the woman and you want to be the one to be with her, possibly save her from herself. It's incredible. And I would imagine that only the most heartless son-of-a-bitch of an untalented editor could have possibly failed to respond favorably. Such a test might have been more rewarding and brought a higher rate of favorable results. Still, I enjoyed the article and I would guess that many of our past finest writers might have truly suffered to find acceptance in today's literary marketplace. It would have been a hoot if Bukowski had somehow been accepted in Marie Claire or Readers Digest! He thought he was tough, but I would have liked to see him step into a bar in true macho fashion after that! ("It's rent money, baby.") I would have also loved seeing him as a social commentator on Fox Gnus. Now that's what I would call Fair and Balanced.

Poptop

 

[Rekrab]

... And I would imagine that only the most heartless son-of-a-bitch of an untalented editor could have possibly failed to respond favorably. ...
Poptop

For most editiors, it's not what you send them, it's "who" you are. The greatest story or poem on earth won't fly with many of these people. They don't look at the work objectively. It's all about reputation and connections. That's been the case forever. That's not sour grapes speaking, it's reality. Many editors do not even read the work sent them, beyond maybe the first sentence or two. They look at the name and then shove it back into the envelop.

 

[Ponder]

Very true, David. And it sucks big time.

 

[mjp]

They don't look at the work objectively. It's all about reputation and connections. That's been the case forever. That's not sour grapes speaking, it's reality.

Speaking of Grapes - ;) - in the mid 90's I would send poems to Jack Grapes who published ONTHEBUS. His rejection form was an "invitation" to attend his "writing workshop" ($$$). Maybe I needed it, but I never took him up on it.

 

[Bill Sikes]

As I remember "The Oxford American" never accepted Bukowski poems, even though he kept sending them almost to the end. He mentions Marc Smirnoff (editor) as 'very kind' writer of rejection letters.