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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
there are some things i liked here, don’t get me wrong. i was really excited going into this poetry book because I am a lover of literature and it was recommended to me by a very pretty person who i like a lot however, i don’t think this poetry sits with me well. it gets redundant and i feel as though i’m having deja-vu every few poems which was frustrating because i wanted it to be over with as soon as possible. i think i can appreciate some of the word here, my favorite line of his is “i hope death contains less than this” that really struck me in ways i cannot yet explain or maybe i can and my mind just isn’t ready for it . I think i understand what she saw in this poetry book, however it wasn’t for me and that is okay.
Charles Bukowski is a terrible man. He writes good poetry sometimes. This is, unfortunately, not it. For the most part.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely the best bukowski I have read this year. Much more reflective and aware than his other works. Still a disgusting old drunk man, but nevertheless, interesting to see inside that perspective of life.
Some absolutely incredible stuff in here. Some poems are just obvious fillers. Prophetic, raw, carnal: condensed energies, from word to body. There’s a lilt in the word goddamn I hadn’t felt on my tongue til now.
we get it, you're old and you fuck. 1 point for we will taste the island and the sea, and probably other ones
These days the very little time I have to read is in brief intervals at work or during breaks or when on the road so the only thing I can unfortunately handle right now are books that I can read on the Kindle, computer or mobile phone screen and in short bursts. So poetry is ideal for this.
As a teenager Bukowski was one of my absolute (anti-)heroes. Loved his not giving a shit stance and anti-establishment middle fingering. Of course the fact that I wasn't getting any yet this old ugly brute seemed to have no trouble scoring also gave me eternal hope that things may ultimately change in this department. (It did.)
As much as I loved him, I hadn't read or re-read Bukowski in decades. I always thought it was time to re-explore at least some of his work. Saw The Pleasures of the Damned: Selected Poems 1951-1993 in Waterstones but at close to €25 nearly choked at the price tag and figured there must be a cheaper way to get a hold of this. Lo, and behold on Amazon it was just $15 and the Kindle version was even cheaper at only $13 (!) and while browsing then opted for Love is a Dog from Hell instead as - just like with music - I prefer original collections to a Greatest Hits compilation.
Finally ready to reconnect with an old friend I dived right in and...... man, his writing really hasn't stood the test of time. Or else my hormones must have had an awful lot to explain.
A lot of the poems are easily interchangeable riffs on the very same thing over and over again. Short sketches randomly phrased out in poetic lines, they really lack a distinctive rhythm (or even any rhythm at all) and worst of all: the sketches just ain't that well told.
Apart from a few semi-interesting insights into his curious state of dirty old man celebrity, most are just the same old same old themes of drinking, fucking and vomiting (not always in that order) that once must have indeed been somewhat shocking and "different" but now appears just repetitive. There isn't a single smidgen of original insight into human nature anywhere in sight, the girls he comes across lack the remotest bit of individuality and whatever little verve is on display gets monotonous after the 12th repetition.
Still remember Bukowski the anti-establishment figure fondly and wouldn't part from what he meant for me as a teenager but by now I think I can safely say that I like the idea of Bukowski more than his actual work.
As a teenager Bukowski was one of my absolute (anti-)heroes. Loved his not giving a shit stance and anti-establishment middle fingering. Of course the fact that I wasn't getting any yet this old ugly brute seemed to have no trouble scoring also gave me eternal hope that things may ultimately change in this department. (It did.)
As much as I loved him, I hadn't read or re-read Bukowski in decades. I always thought it was time to re-explore at least some of his work. Saw The Pleasures of the Damned: Selected Poems 1951-1993 in Waterstones but at close to €25 nearly choked at the price tag and figured there must be a cheaper way to get a hold of this. Lo, and behold on Amazon it was just $15 and the Kindle version was even cheaper at only $13 (!) and while browsing then opted for Love is a Dog from Hell instead as - just like with music - I prefer original collections to a Greatest Hits compilation.
Finally ready to reconnect with an old friend I dived right in and...... man, his writing really hasn't stood the test of time. Or else my hormones must have had an awful lot to explain.
A lot of the poems are easily interchangeable riffs on the very same thing over and over again. Short sketches randomly phrased out in poetic lines, they really lack a distinctive rhythm (or even any rhythm at all) and worst of all: the sketches just ain't that well told.
Apart from a few semi-interesting insights into his curious state of dirty old man celebrity, most are just the same old same old themes of drinking, fucking and vomiting (not always in that order) that once must have indeed been somewhat shocking and "different" but now appears just repetitive. There isn't a single smidgen of original insight into human nature anywhere in sight, the girls he comes across lack the remotest bit of individuality and whatever little verve is on display gets monotonous after the 12th repetition.
Still remember Bukowski the anti-establishment figure fondly and wouldn't part from what he meant for me as a teenager but by now I think I can safely say that I like the idea of Bukowski more than his actual work.
No me gusta la poesía, jamás me ha gustado y alardeando de visiones de futuro, nunca me gustará.
Pero es Bukowski, entonces si me gusta mucho.
Pero es Bukowski, entonces si me gusta mucho.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes