Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
Funny! Here they also only printed a selection of Erections... - and in 1980 too! Maybe it's even the same selection!
Last edited by a moderator:
The People Look Like Flowers At Last
- Thread starter Paul Sempschi
- Start date
Funny! Here they also only printed a selection of Erections... - and in 1980 too! Maybe it's even the same selection!
HenryChinaski
Founding member
Ponder said:
that cover isnt as bad as the others. i almost lost my breakfast.
reasonknot
Founding member
the people look like flowers at last
i read this book this morning from the back to the middle.funny how the books control you sometimes.
i read this book this morning from the back to the middle.funny how the books control you sometimes.
I didn't realize that Buk was translated into Arabic. ;)
Johannes
Founding member
Got it recently and read it straight through, on one boring evening at work.
It was the first posthumous collection I've read and I was a little ... hm, worried or something, that it might not hold up to the ones published in his lifetime. Stupid, of course, and after the first few minutes of reading all of that was gone.
I really like it, it was one joyful read which lighted up my whole day and it even contains one of my new all-time-favorite-poems now: My Faithful Indian Servant.
Also it can be an interesting game to play with yourself (if you like to do so) to try guessing out of which periode/decade a single poem is or might be. For some reason I'd have guessed that My Faithful Indian Servant was written in the mid 80`s or even later, but no, all wrong, the famous database tells me: 1962! A real early one.
And Soup, Cosmos and Tears, jesus, here's one for Sheri Martinelli to get pissed upon :)
Much more than Vegas. I wonder, if she ever read it. Truly funny.
It was the first posthumous collection I've read and I was a little ... hm, worried or something, that it might not hold up to the ones published in his lifetime. Stupid, of course, and after the first few minutes of reading all of that was gone.
I really like it, it was one joyful read which lighted up my whole day and it even contains one of my new all-time-favorite-poems now: My Faithful Indian Servant.
Also it can be an interesting game to play with yourself (if you like to do so) to try guessing out of which periode/decade a single poem is or might be. For some reason I'd have guessed that My Faithful Indian Servant was written in the mid 80`s or even later, but no, all wrong, the famous database tells me: 1962! A real early one.
And Soup, Cosmos and Tears, jesus, here's one for Sheri Martinelli to get pissed upon :)
Much more than Vegas. I wonder, if she ever read it. Truly funny.
Last edited by a moderator:
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
Why? Is it about Martinelli?
I looked it up in the database. It appeared it Evergreen Review No. 79, 1970, so it seems like this is the first time it's been collected...
Last edited by a moderator:
Johannes
Founding member
Yes, it is. :)
Read Beerspit Night And Cursing and you'll see. It's sort of a, errm, satire and really funny. Even Martinellis husband is there, in a way :)
Sometimes it seems that B. never really got over the fact (at least it took him quite a while) that he once corresponded with a woman who'd slept with Pound. Pound!
Last edited by a moderator:
You might wanna here the recording where Buk reads this poem himself. I think its on the CD "Bukowski: King of Poets". (You can get it on iTunes.)
Last edited by a moderator:
I can't believe I'm writing this, to Hank Solo, and I'm sure to be corrected (I'm ready, just let me have it), but here goes: I think you're wrong on this one.
I seem to recall even the soup being mentioned in one of Buk's letters in Beerspit. Martinelli seems to have been just the "new age" type of dame depicted in Soup, Cosmos & Tears.
I enjoyed Beerspit a lot. Martinelli seems quite a character. Buk shows in those letters how effectively he could adapt his language to the person he was addressing. Love the section where he and Martinelli exchange cooking tips. I've been using oregano with my eggs ever since.... :D
I seem to recall even the soup being mentioned in one of Buk's letters in Beerspit. Martinelli seems to have been just the "new age" type of dame depicted in Soup, Cosmos & Tears.
I enjoyed Beerspit a lot. Martinelli seems quite a character. Buk shows in those letters how effectively he could adapt his language to the person he was addressing. Love the section where he and Martinelli exchange cooking tips. I've been using oregano with my eggs ever since.... :D
Johannes
Founding member
You're right, Erik, though I don't remember the soup being mentioned. Is it really in there? Great. One more bit.
Yes, they exchanged cooking-tips. Martinelli even got B. walking into a health-food-store and, of course, promptly hating the scene there.
Soup, Cosmos and Tears is, well, you could say in large parts made up upon Martinellis character in Beerspit Night ... then, others are invented. As far as we know, Martinelli never slept with William S. Burroughs :)
Yes, they exchanged cooking-tips. Martinelli even got B. walking into a health-food-store and, of course, promptly hating the scene there.
Soup, Cosmos and Tears is, well, you could say in large parts made up upon Martinellis character in Beerspit Night ... then, others are invented. As far as we know, Martinelli never slept with William S. Burroughs :)
Last edited by a moderator:
Hey I don't know what I'm talking about Erik :D
I had forgotten all about the part about 'Ezra' etc. Now I can hear Bukowski reading it in that crazy "woman's voice" he used and I'm belatedly telling myself to shut up!
I ought to read Beerspit though. I just remember a lot of folks here saying how different (and not so good) the letters were. Same goes for the Bukowski / Purdy Letters book. Here on a shelf, unread. I'll get to it some day.
So I concede - Martinelli probably makes up a good part of the character Annette in Soup.
I had forgotten all about the part about 'Ezra' etc. Now I can hear Bukowski reading it in that crazy "woman's voice" he used and I'm belatedly telling myself to shut up!
I ought to read Beerspit though. I just remember a lot of folks here saying how different (and not so good) the letters were. Same goes for the Bukowski / Purdy Letters book. Here on a shelf, unread. I'll get to it some day.
So I concede - Martinelli probably makes up a good part of the character Annette in Soup.
Father Luke
Founding member
Johannes
Founding member
Yes. For sure.
Interesting: As per your document we can see that the last word in the "The People Look Like Flowers ..."-version of this poem was changed from "ridiculous" to "suspect". For whatever reason. Maybe one of these mysterious John-Martin-changes.
I'm gonna outbid you on that one;)
I think I put a bid on Buk-purdy of $52.00 on ebay a few months ago. It didn't work...but a few days later I won the Sherman memoir for a good price from the same seller so after all I was a happy child.
I suppose they still sell the Buk-Purdy letters on Abe for $50.00
Father Luke
Founding member
Just got it from Amazon dot calm for thirty five bucks.
Nothing to see here. Move along... move along...
Nothing to see here. Move along... move along...
mjp
Founding member
At least I remember bits of Beerspit. Bukowski/Purdy was so boring I can't recall one line.
Beerspit is annoying (to me) because Martinelli is neck deep in groovy new beatnik shit like using "yr" for "You're." As Erik pointed out, Bukowski responds in her language, so a lot of his letters are shit too, and ring hollow because he was communicating on her hyper-educated-know-it-all-hipster level. Blah.
He was best when he was just blowing it out in long, drunken rants in his letters, and for some reason seeing them in manuscript form has a much greater impact than reading them in the books. The books don't have all that many great letters in them, which is odd, considering he wrote 20 million letters.
Father Luke
Founding member
Well, blehh or not, I look to them as historical documents.
And I consider myself fortunate to be able to read so much
of what he wrote in it's original form in the archives
you've set up, mjp.
So there.
And I consider myself fortunate to be able to read so much
of what he wrote in it's original form in the archives
you've set up, mjp.
So there.
mjp
Founding member
I look at them that way too. I bought the books, I read them, I'm interested. They just fall short. Some of them shorter than others.
It's as if they took all of your favorite musician's music away and only gave you rough demos and B-sides. Interesting - if you have already heard everything else - but it wouldn't make a great first impression.
The letters overall are interesting, seeing who he really let loose with and who he wrote to with more -- control. There are definitely different letter styles, and the books just don't seem to capture the real "Bukowski letter." For lack of a better term.
But I remember when the first BSP letters book came out. I savored every page. So, yeah, I don't want to knock them too much. I'm just jaded. Don't pay any attention to me.
It's as if they took all of your favorite musician's music away and only gave you rough demos and B-sides. Interesting - if you have already heard everything else - but it wouldn't make a great first impression.
The letters overall are interesting, seeing who he really let loose with and who he wrote to with more -- control. There are definitely different letter styles, and the books just don't seem to capture the real "Bukowski letter." For lack of a better term.
But I remember when the first BSP letters book came out. I savored every page. So, yeah, I don't want to knock them too much. I'm just jaded. Don't pay any attention to me.
Father Luke
Founding member
Jaded I can deal with.
Sorry to hijack yet another thread and bring news about the Linda King Poetry reading, but here goes...
The drunk guy, sleeping right behind jordan, would wake up occasionally and yell out something like:
"Yeah, Baby! That's what we need! you're Authentic! That's what San Francisco NEEDS!"
I have to admit that the Purdy letters intrigue me. I've read the Martinelli letters, and I agree with you. They were meh.
I mean, I guess we've all chased pussy, or whatever he was doing there, so it was comforting, and funny to see that others can look like an ass. I know I have, and plenty of times.
So, the Purdy letters will be another adventure.
etc.
mjp
Founding member
Were you ever a carpenter? Because I think you just hit the nail squarely on the head. ;)
All his letters to women (that I've seen) are come-ons. He was always trolling, and it didn't matter who the woman was.
Congrats! Ok, second time today....Happy reading.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
I've got Beerspit but I have'nt read it yet. Sure, Martinelli fits right in with the woman in Soup..., now I think about it. Is there any mention of the poem in Beerspit?
I have the Buk CD , King Of Poets, where Buk reads Soup..., but it seems like it has'nt been collected before now in The People Look Like Flowers At Last.
Last edited by a moderator:
LickTheStar
Sad Flower in the Sand
Five... five hundred? Holy crap. There's bound to be SOMEthing good in there right? Madness!
cirerita
Founding member
Yep. I received them today in a big Amazon box. I wasn't expecting any parcel from Amazon, so I was a bit surprised to see that box. Then it dawned on me that some libraries use recycled boxes ;)
I would love to sit down and read those letters right now, but I have to hand in a translation next Wednesday and I'm a bit behind schedule...
I would love to sit down and read those letters right now, but I have to hand in a translation next Wednesday and I'm a bit behind schedule...
cirerita
Founding member
Well, I took a very quick look at the first 20 letters or so and I found out that a publisher almost put out a chapbook of Bukowski/Corrington poems in the very early 60's. The chapbook never came out, but the Bukowski poems ended up in a mimeograph mag not listed anywhere.
Unpublished letters are sure a treasure trove.
Unpublished letters are sure a treasure trove.
And so are YOU! :D
