Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life Part 21

BOOKS ABOUT CHARLES BUKOWSKI.

Several of these are memoirs published in small editions.

A Bibliography of Charles Bukowski by Sanford Dorbin (Black Sparrow Press, 1969) Charles Bukowski: A Critical and Bibliographical Study by Hugh Fox (Abyss Publications, 1969) Bukowski: Friendship, Fame and b.e.s.t.i.a.l Myth by Jory Sherman (Blue Horse Publications, 1981) All's Normal Here edited by Loss Pequeno Glazier (Ruddy Duck Press, 1985) Note : A collection of work about Bukowski by his friends. It also includes letters and some original work by Bukowski.

The King of San Pedro by David Barker (Richard G. Wong & Co, 1985) Note : A curious miniature book, it gives the basic facts of Bukowski's biography.

Bukowski (Photographs 19771987) by Michael Montfort (Graham Mackintosh, 1987) Note : Printed for an exhibition of Michael Montfort's photographs in Hamburg, Germany.

The Poet's Craft edited by William Packard (Paragon House, 1987) Note : Chapter twenty-three reprints an interview Bukowski gave to the New York Quarterly about his method of writing.

Whitman's Wild Children by Neeli Cherkovski (The Lapis Press, 1988) Note : The first chapter, 'Notes on a Dirty Old Man', is about Bukowski.

Sure edited by Ed Smith (published by Ed Smith, 19911994) Note : The ten volumes of the news letter, Sure , published by Ed Smith between 1991 and 1994, include a wealth of information.

In Search of Literary LA by Lionel Rolfe (California Cla.s.sics Books, 1991) Note : This contains one chapter about Bukowski, 'Tales of an Extraordinary Madman', based on the evening of the premiere of Tales of Ordinary Madness .

Hank by Neeli Cherkovski (Random House, 1991) Note : Later re-issued by Steerforth Press.

Bukowski by Michael Montfort (Michael Montfort, 1993) Note : A limited edition of photographs.

Against the American Dream: Essays on Charles Bukowski by Russell Harrison (Black Sparrow Press, 1994) Note : A critical study of Bukowski's work.

Blowing My Hero by Amber O'Neil (Amber O'Neil Productions, 1995) Note : Amber O'Neil is a pseudonym for one of Bukowski's former girlfriends who self-published this memoir after reading what he wrote about her in Women . The t.i.tle relates to Amber giving Bukowski oral s.e.x. Amber was obliged to withdraw Blowing My Hero from sale after a complaint from Bukowski's estate that she did not have permission to reprint letters from Bukowski.

Das ist Alles : Charles Bukowski Recollected edited by Joan Jobe Smith (Pearl Editions, 1995) Note : A collection of poems by friends and admirers of Bukowski published following his death. FrancEyE and Linda King are among the contributors.

Das war's by Gundolf S. Freyermuth with photographs by Michael Montfort (Rasch und Rohring, 1996) Note : Published in Germany, this book contains the last interview Bukowski gave and is ill.u.s.trated with photographs by Michael Montfort.

Spinning off Bukowski by Steve Richmond (Sun Dog Press, 1996) Note : An engaging memoir by Bukowski's friend of many years, it is widely available.

Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet by Gerald Locklin (Water Row Press, 1996) The Charles Bukowski/Second Coming Years by A. D. Winans (The Beat Scene Press, 1996) The Buk Book Text by Jim Christy with photos by Claude Powell (ECW Press, 1997) Note : This features photographs of Bukowski groping his former neighbor, Tina Darby.

Charles Bukowski by Gay Brewer (Twaynes United States Authors Series, 1997) Note : An excellent critical study of Bukowski's work.

Sixty-Seven Poems for Downtrodden Saints by Jack Micheline (FMSBW, 1997) Note : An anthology of Jack Micheline's writings over the years, it contains various pieces about Bukowski including the prose-poem, 'Long After Midnight'.

Bukowski in the Bathtub edited by Philomene Long (Raven of Temple of Man, 1997) Note : Transcripts of conversations between Bukowski and his friend, John Thomas.

A Descriptive Bibliography of the Primary Publications of Charle s Bukowski by Aaron Krumhansl (Black Sparrow Press, 1999) Bukowski in Pictures by Howard Sounes (Rebel Inc., 2000) Note : After I had finished my biography of Bukowski I found I had hundreds of photographs of the man, and places and people of interest in his life, mostly pictures never seen before, and so put together this photographic biography.

Bukowski for Beginners by Carlos Polimeni (Writers & Readers, 2000) Art, Survival and So Forth by Jules Smith (Wrecking Ball Press, 2000) Charles Bukowski: Laughing With the G.o.ds Interviews by Fernando Pivano (Sun Dog Press, 2000) Note : All the Sun Dog books about Bukowski have interest.

Drinking with Bukowski: Recollections of the Poet Laureate of Skid Row by Daniel Weizmann (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2001) Bukowski and the Beats by Jean-Francois Duval (Sun Dog Press, 2002) The Hunchback of East Hollywood: A Biography of Charles Bukowski by Aubrey Malone (Critical Vision, 2003) Charles Bukowski: Sunlight Here I Am Interviews and Encounters edited by David Stephen Calonne (Sun Dog Press, 2004) Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles (Virgin Books, 2005) Note : Miles knew Bukowski, as I describe in Chapter 6. Furthermore he is an experienced and accomplished biographer, his life of Allen Ginsberg being authoritative. This biography, however, is impoverished by a lack of original research, leaning instead on previous books by other writers, not least my own biography of Bukowski.

Praise for.

CHARLES BUKOWSKI: LOCKED IN THE ARMS OF A CRAZY LIFE.

'Exhilarating, hilarious and often emotionally draining, this superb biography of the maverick, hard-bitten bard of the Los Angeles demi-monde uncorks a potent brew of wild, anti-heroic anecdotes.' Publishers Weekly 'This is the first in-depth biography of Bukowski and succeeds by pulling into focus the hazy image of the apocryphal barfly anti-hero.' The Times 'In his engaging biography ... Sounes adroitly uses snippets of Bukowski's poems to comment upon the writer's life, and his interviews and correspondence with everyone from Sean Penn to Bukowski's former girlfriends reveal a more sensitive and vulnerable artist than the virile, down-and-out he-man persona Bukowski so diligently created.' New York Times Book Review 'Bukowski has been cursed here with a good and thorough biographer, and the portrait of the subject that emerges, while verifiably accurate, is not a very pretty one.' Washington Post 'Draws on a huge amount of source material and can claim to be the most definitive to date.' Guardian 'Bukowski's America a land of free-falling morals and stunted personalities is particularly well explored.' Observer 'Powerfully researched.' Times Literary Supplement 'Sounes's book is a.s.siduously researched and simply told in a style that allows the full complexity of the writer's personality to unravel. Five stars.' The List 'Sounes, who consulted private letters to and by Bukowski, a.s.sembled a formidable range of interviewees, including Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Bukowski's widow, his publisher, his girlfriends, a barman and many poets from Los Angeles with whom he drank, to construct an intriguing biography of a complex man. Bukowski's life is described by many voices and not just one, and Sounes astutely avoids simply regurgitating infamous anecdotes that are commonplace to anyone who knows the work... Importantly, the biography provides a correct chronology of Bukowski's life, difficult to grasp from simply reading the novels. Sounes also succeeds in deflating some myths about Bukowski.' Independent on Sunday 'A thrilling peephole into [Bukowski's] life.' Wax 'Exhaustive and very moving ... a remarkable portrait of an American true-blue original.' Livewire 'Exhaustively researched.' Los Angeles Times 'A soberly investigated picaresque life... a biography that listens to Bukowski's all-night barroom anecdotes and then checks the facts the morning after.' Kirkus Review 'A must-read for anybody who is a fan of Bukowski's writing, [the biography] successfully conjures the voice of this outrageous character, and offers clear-eyed insight into his extraordinary life.' Toronto Globe and Mail 'A dandy look at [Bukowski's] gloriously misled life... Sounes provides a valuable gateway to greater appreciation of a still under-appreciated writer.' Booklist 'Proving himself to be an excellent author in his own right, Sounes manages to write without sticking his proverbial thumb all over the lens ... the result is a fast-paced narrative and a great read.' Minneapolis City Pages 'Surely, the result of [Sounes's] exhaustive work, as he modestly hopes, the "definitive account" of the life of this self-proclaimed "Dirty Old Man".' Denver Post 'A lively portrait of American literature's "Dirty Old Man" ... Recommended.' Library Journal.

About the Author.

HOWARD SOUNES, who was born in suburban south-east London in 1965, made his living as a newspaper journalist until the mid-1990s when he broke major stories in the case of the serial murderers Fred and Rosemary West for the Sunday Mirror. He went on to cover the West case for the Daily Mirror and wrote the bestselling book Fred & Rose (1995) about the story. Sounes next tackled this biography of Charles Bukowski, becoming so immersed in the project that he quit his job to devote himself to it. Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life was first published by Canongate in 1998, and is now established as the definitive biography of this American writer. Sounes went on to edit a complementary photographic book, Bukowski in Pictures (Canongate, 2000). More recently, he has written the bestselling biography Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan (2001); an investigative history of professional golf, The Wicked Game (2004); and Seventies (2006), a history of the arts in the 1970s. Howard Sounes' books are published around the world, translated into many languages. He lives in the City of London, and is represented by the literary agency Curtis Brown.

ALSO BY HOWARD SOUNES.

Seventies.

Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan.

Bukowski in Pictures.

The Wicked Game.

Fred & Rose.

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