You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
138 reviews for:
Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness
Charles Bukowski
3.63 AVERAGE
138 reviews for:
Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness
Charles Bukowski
3.63 AVERAGE
Tengo sentimientos encontrados acerca del libro, recibi muy buenas criticas acerca del autor, a pesar de la crudeza que se refleja en las historias, me deja un mal sabor de boca. creo que al final lo termine por mi incapacidad de dejar un libro a medias. No es que las historias me inspiraran a nada.
True to Bukowski’s tradition and the very title of the book, it is a collection of stories of various lowlifes in Los Angeles including himself & his literary equivalence Henry Chinaski, and of course it contains a lot of profanities, drunkenness, absurdities, and violence. I guess I was just bored (it seemed to be my general weariness when it comes to his literary arsenal) when I finally picked it up with the intention of only reading the first chapter, but it opened so strongly with A.45 to Pay the Rent I was suddenly not bored anymore.
Each person has a little madness in their own unique way, whether it’s an ex-con having to resolve back to violence and crime only to make enough money to support his family thanks to a soul-crushing rehabilitation system, people actually raping and killing each other for fun in prison, or a poet not knowing what he’s doing but drink to pass time and assignments. To my distaste, there was just a little too heavy a dose of himself in the stories (as in talking about his own experiences and fucking LITERATURE and POEMS and POETS and RACING HORSES shit. BUKOWSKI.) and the nonchalance present did entice not much than mild annoyance. It was morbidly fun to read, however. The chapters are short, easy to read, almost funny in their extremity, and most importantly sincere. They won’t make you feel better about yourself though, you self-centered prick.
A few chapters that I actually enjoyed:
- A.45 to Pay the Rent (strong intro game, probably the best story)
- Nut Ward Just East of Hollywood (reminds me a little of both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Infinite Jest)
- Goodbye Watson (that ending paragraph)
- GREAT POETS DIE IN STEAMING POTS OF SHIT (it’s only apt to write in all caps, and it felt like Tony Soprano having to talk to an overly enthusiastic parent of his children’s friend’s in a BBQ)
- Rape! Rape! (they’re all disgusting)
- A Dollar and 20 Cents
- A Rain of Women
- Purple as an Iris
- One for Walter Lowenfels
- Notes of the Pest (possibly even better than A.45 to Pay the Rent, but it did feel somewhat rehashed and pretentious)
I’m still not convinced that Bukowski is remarkable.
Each person has a little madness in their own unique way, whether it’s an ex-con having to resolve back to violence and crime only to make enough money to support his family thanks to a soul-crushing rehabilitation system, people actually raping and killing each other for fun in prison, or a poet not knowing what he’s doing but drink to pass time and assignments. To my distaste, there was just a little too heavy a dose of himself in the stories (as in talking about his own experiences and fucking LITERATURE and POEMS and POETS and RACING HORSES shit. BUKOWSKI.) and the nonchalance present did entice not much than mild annoyance. It was morbidly fun to read, however. The chapters are short, easy to read, almost funny in their extremity, and most importantly sincere. They won’t make you feel better about yourself though, you self-centered prick.
A few chapters that I actually enjoyed:
- A.45 to Pay the Rent (strong intro game, probably the best story)
- Nut Ward Just East of Hollywood (reminds me a little of both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Infinite Jest)
- Goodbye Watson (that ending paragraph)
- GREAT POETS DIE IN STEAMING POTS OF SHIT (it’s only apt to write in all caps, and it felt like Tony Soprano having to talk to an overly enthusiastic parent of his children’s friend’s in a BBQ)
- Rape! Rape! (they’re all disgusting)
- A Dollar and 20 Cents
- A Rain of Women
- Purple as an Iris
- One for Walter Lowenfels
- Notes of the Pest (possibly even better than A.45 to Pay the Rent, but it did feel somewhat rehashed and pretentious)
I’m still not convinced that Bukowski is remarkable.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i found this book to be quite profane and “dirty” (for lack of a better word). i understand the goal overall in the writing and style, it just isn’t for me. i tried. the first of the short stories was very good. i enjoyed it even in its difficulty to stomach. the following ones i dredged through and couldn’t bare more. i guess bukowski’s writing just isn’t for me.
Here's the thing you need to know when you read Bukowski: you will be outraged. You'll probably be shocked by the way he writes about people, about women, and about life in general. And don't get me wrong; there is misogyny in his work. There's violence, and there's crudeness. However, there is also truth. A lot of it.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (yes... *that* Phoebe Waller-Bridge) recently said that she loved "how visceral his writing is". She's right. He's visceral, and raw, and digs deep into the obscurity of our being. Basically, a part of him is not good (what it means to be 'good' is a different discussion), he knows it's not good, and he admits it's not good. And, personally, he spoke to me sometimes through paper. His madness reasoned with my own madness, I guess. It made me quite like this book.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (yes... *that* Phoebe Waller-Bridge) recently said that she loved "how visceral his writing is". She's right. He's visceral, and raw, and digs deep into the obscurity of our being. Basically, a part of him is not good (what it means to be 'good' is a different discussion), he knows it's not good, and he admits it's not good. And, personally, he spoke to me sometimes through paper. His madness reasoned with my own madness, I guess. It made me quite like this book.
Difficult to read! The quality jumps between being extraordinarily to completely boring to confusing to filthy...
Absolute marmite of literature. You really either hate or love it.
I fairly enjoyed the realism of Bukowski’s writing. You can imagine every line being played in your mind like a movie, so I guess that’s his true talent.
I found the descriptions of women particularly challenging while reading this book and tried very hard to view it as ‘art’ rather legitimate opinions someone would have about women in today’s world.
After reading this book I’m feel my curiosity of Bukowski has been completely satisfied, and I might never reach for any of his works again... 3/5
Absolute marmite of literature. You really either hate or love it.
I fairly enjoyed the realism of Bukowski’s writing. You can imagine every line being played in your mind like a movie, so I guess that’s his true talent.
I found the descriptions of women particularly challenging while reading this book and tried very hard to view it as ‘art’ rather legitimate opinions someone would have about women in today’s world.
After reading this book I’m feel my curiosity of Bukowski has been completely satisfied, and I might never reach for any of his works again... 3/5
Had a hard time reading this… don’t think i’m going to be reading another bukowski anytime soon
First Buk flop for me
Book quote: "Something else is hurting you - that’s why you need pot or whiskey, or whips and rubber suits, or screaming music turned so fucking loud you can’t think."
Book review: I have read several books by Bukowski but this was the first one that I listened to. It was a bad idea. Subjects of alcoholism and women never bothered me until I heard it narrated by a very convincing Bukowski voice that just instilled in me a thought I never imagined I'll have. "This man is repulsive."
"Tales" is a collection of stories which is different from what I usually read of Bukowski's. I think the only collection of stories that I've read of his was Hot Water Music. The others are a collection of poetry and prose.
I still have 2 unread books of his and I'm going to read those one day. I'm still a fan but I'm gonna stay away from this one.
Book quote: "Something else is hurting you - that’s why you need pot or whiskey, or whips and rubber suits, or screaming music turned so fucking loud you can’t think."
Book review: I have read several books by Bukowski but this was the first one that I listened to. It was a bad idea. Subjects of alcoholism and women never bothered me until I heard it narrated by a very convincing Bukowski voice that just instilled in me a thought I never imagined I'll have. "This man is repulsive."
"Tales" is a collection of stories which is different from what I usually read of Bukowski's. I think the only collection of stories that I've read of his was Hot Water Music. The others are a collection of poetry and prose.
I still have 2 unread books of his and I'm going to read those one day. I'm still a fan but I'm gonna stay away from this one.
Cred ca nu am râs in viata mea la o carte,mai mult ca la aceasta