I would tend to agree; and the neighborhood the house is in would most likely need to be zoned for it... And no offense to anyone, especially SD!, but I'm not sure Bukowski would have been entirely thrilled with the idea. He had trouble enough getting rid of the pests, the drunken guys with six-packs, who used to show up unexpectedly on his doorstep and he had to put his foot in the doorjamb. I'm not convinced that every one of Buk's readers is entirely sane, judging from my own experience, lol, when they exaggerate the flagrant excesses of their own behavior but without Bukowski's talent, and I would not wish a replay for Ms. Bukowski, her desire to protect or promote her husband's legacy aside.
Plus"”and this is just a surmise as an outsider"”this museum project, beneath the surface, may be a way for Linda to remain close to Hank's memory in a way that I'm not exactly sure would be healthy for anyone, except someone living in a mansion. I believe she has left Bukowski's writing room intact since he died. To turn the entire house into a museum of his material artifacts (reading glasses, pens, etc.), except perhaps examples of his original manuscripts under glass, and open it to the general public"”strikes me"”forgive me"”as somewhat excessive, perhaps morbid, even trivial, and possibly unhealthy in the long-run for her emotional well-being unless she"”and please don't anyone take offense at this"”unless she decides to become a professional widow like maybe the wife of composer Robert Schumann, who outlived her famous husband by 40 years and wore black.
The way I see it is that Bukowski's output and reputation as an author is just about bullet proof. He showed the absolute worst of himself in print and probably died a millionaire from sales, or close to it. As long as his books are in print, I doubt whether his legacy will die, particularly so because the definitive Bukowski movie, either about Bukowski or one of his stories, has yet to be made; but when the next one comes along, more new readers will take an interest in the honesty of his works and get involved with the read... What remains to be done is a thorough evaluation, an appreciative evaluation of his best works. While I enjoyed reading the "Fuck Machine," I view that as a story Bukowski may have written to pay the bloody rent, and it's a far cry from "The Most Beautiful Women in Town," which I find to be one of his most hauntingly beautiful and memorable stories... So there's a wide range of subject matter, and perhaps in the quality of some of his works; and if Linda wants to help move his legacy along, she could continue working with researchers or scholars in this sorting out process... In the meantime, she'll probably never have to work another day in her life, thanks to her husband's generosity, loyalty and genius, and she probably still has some of her own living to do. I hope so... It's too bad too that she seems to have no active interest or presence on this forum. What readers have ever looked after an author's legacy as much as the members do here, whether it's bootlegs, ripped off videos and dvds, fake signatures, you name it?"”and it's not all about the money; it's about giving something back in gratitude to the man for, at lease to me, all that I gained through his artistic genius. He hasn't been dead but for 15 years, and the public's interest in Bukowski as a man and writer seems to be greater than ever, and growing. If Mrs. Bukowski has information that her husband's sales have dropped off dramatically, or that his legacy is being threatened, I hope she will somehow share this information directly or indirectly through one of her contacts on this forum. I would be surprised indeed if that were the case. From what I can tell, Charles Bukowski is selling, and what better way to preserve his legacy than through his countless and exceptional poems, stories, novels and letters? "”Poptop.
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