"Sorry, Bukowski" by Andrea Moser

Gerard K H Love

Appreciate your friends
It seems some one or a few here have talked about how Bukowski would still be rejected by most publishers today.

I think it's weird when people refer to him as "Chuck".
 
So she calls him Chuck and states that The Most Beautiful Woman in Town was published by City Lights, circa 1967. Then refers to him as "Buck" in the last line; and yet she states that she has all of his books except for some of the expensive early ones. Hmmm...
 

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Yeah, I like the idea of the story, but it is utterly ruined for me when the writer acts familiar then calls him by two names that he NEVER went by. It may be petty, but calling him Hank or Buk and I love the article.

Bill
 
Buck? What a fucking idiot.

Her "experiment" was no big deal and has been done before in a much more clever manner by Don Novello many, many years ago: he wrote up a movie pitch that was, plot point for plot point, lifted from the classic film Casablanca. All he did was change the title. Every studio he sent the pitch to rejected the story (even Warner Brothers, the studio that produced the original). Novello wrote an article about the experience for, I think, Los Angeles magazine.
 

mjp

Founding member
Chuck and Buck is a great movie, by the way.

The thing about the (old) City Lights books is that they reprinted the weekly newspaper articles, which went pretty much from Bukowski's typewriter to print. They weren't saying, "This is too vulgar," or "Come on, this is just rambling junk, what the fuck?" So a lot of pieces of questionable quality were published. I think if you tried this experiment with some more fully realized shorts the results would be different.
 

vodka

Miss Take
it's sort of sad that none of the journals actually recognized the piece.

also, there is something to be said for evolution of popular literature and poetry... and also i mean shit - trying to become a published writer is sort of like trying to become a rock star... the ones who are recognized aren't necessarily the best.
 

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Yes, but the ones that do it for the love of doing it and not to become the next Green Day will usually be better and may make it with their dignity intact. If they do not make it, they have to be happy playing in bars to crowds of 15. If they go into it expecting to play to crowds of 75,000 then they will likely become disappointed and will not enjoy the music.

It is the same with writing and publishing for that matter. I do not expect to have my little press bought out by Random House. If I make $5000 a year publishing, I am happy. If I lose $5000 a year, I am happy. It is worth it. As a writer, you have to write for the love of writing and have to be happy if no one but you ever sees your words.

That is how I see it. I have been known to be wrong, of course.

Bill
 

Black Swan

Abord the Yorikke!
trying to become a published writer is sort of like trying to become a rock star... the ones who are recognized aren't necessarily the best.
The same goes for painters, dancers, song writers...
Someone doing it for the money, is asking for a wake up call from a big ben.
 

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
yes, true, but in my case that is because I know that I can afford to make more books. I suppose it would be similar if a painter sold a painting and went out and ought canvasses and paints...

Bill
 

Rekrab

Usually wrong.
I agree Bukowski would be rejected by most editors, big and small press, today, were he submitting under a different name. They wouldn't see any merit in it. Then they'd go on to publish some dull writers.
 

vodka

Miss Take
today i see a clash between people who write very safe university style poetry following very particular university style guidelines and those who attend the bukowski school of how to write poetry and then emulate his style as closely as possible and usually badly.

this clash can often be seen in regard to university press journals vs. independent (alternative) journals.

the problem is, barely anyone is doing their own thing.

some are.

i just purchased a book this morning, in fact, by a writer who has succeeded in finding his own style and voice and is goddamned intelligent too.

i'm really looking forward to reading it.

so there's hope, huh?

there's hope for poetry in this world yet. ;)
 

Gerard K H Love

Appreciate your friends
i just purchased a book this morning, in fact, by a writer who has succeeded in finding his own style and voice and is goddamned intelligent too.

i'm really looking forward to reading it.

so there's hope, huh?

there's hope for poetry in this world yet. ;)

Who is the poet?
 
today i see a clash between people who write very safe university style poetry following very particular university style guidelines and those who attend the bukowski school of how to write poetry and then emulate his style as closely as possible and usually badly.

Good point,

there is also an unsual preoccupation for people to write poems about The Iliad, this really gets on my goat.
 

mjp

Founding member
No, I'm sorry. I was trying out a new egomaniac persona. But I'm not sure it's going to stick.
 

mjp

Founding member
It may be, I can't say.

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