Bukowski, Charles (1920–1994)

German-born US writer. In his many poetry collections, six novels, short stories, and essays, he created the persona of himself as an ugly lover and angry drunk, an outsider trapped in a gutter world of comic pathos and glimpsed beauty. His work, which includes Post Office (1971), achieved cult status on both sides of the Atlantic.

Films and poetry Drawn from a collection of short stories called Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness (1971), a film version of some of his stories appeared in 1982 under the title Tales of Ordinary Madness, and his 1979 screenplay Barfly was filmed in 1987. His verse, a revolt against academic or intellectual tradition, is widely popular and has a genuine appeal beyond its immoderate subject matter.

Life and prose Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany; his family emigrated to the USA when he was two years old. He worked for the US Post Office for 14 years, intermittently producing short stories and some journalism, before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Post Office, was obviously based on first-hand experience, as was most of his fiction. In the next ten years or so he brought out Factotum (1975), largely based on various menial jobs he had done; Women (1978); and an exploration of his distressful childhood, Ham on Rye (1982). Bukowski's works were typically printed by small presses or underground magazines.