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A review by joannaautumn
You Get So Alone at Times by Charles Bukowski
5.0
I have liked Bukowski's poetry since I was an emotional rollercoaster of a teenager and I still like it as a somewhat stable(?)and a fairly young adult in my 20s. Yes, his poetry contains a lot of curse words, a lot of enjambment, simplified vocabulary, and an array of "gruesome" acts like sex, drinking, gambling. The characters that are most present in his work are ones of the lower class: the drunks, prostitutes, gamblers, unemployed men, and women; essentially ones that "didn't win" at life. Even though at first glance these people seem lonely and sad, they all carry that ounce of compassion that makes humanity what we are.
Bukowski is not saying that every "Succesful" person is cold, ruthless, and hypocritical nor is he saying that every drunk has a beautiful soul and a sharp wit, he is acknowledging the existence of the bad in what is presented as good and the good in what society presents as bad.
darkness falls upon Humanity
and faces become terrible
things
that wanted more than there
was.
all our days are marked with
unexpected
affronts - some
disastrous, others
less so
but the process is
wearing and
continuous.
attrition rules.
most give
way
leaving
empty spaces
where people should
be.
and now
as we ready to self-destruct
there is very little left to
kill
which makes the tragedy
less and more
much much
more.”
The real enemy for Bukowski is the collective that represses the individual. It's fitting inside boxes of modern society, into the roles set by something inhuman.
Bukowski is almost like a disappointed idealist, his values are ones of good (compassion, kindness, humanism) but life offers rare chances of reciprocation and leads his characters into a downward spiral of developing bad habits (gambling, drinking, drug abuse) to cope with their dissatisfaction with life. There are many poems that he wrote where he expresses that the moments of happiness and enjoyment are ones of genuine connection with other people and art.
That’s where the role of art comes along, it’s this ability of one man to express himself with no binds, and for another to connect with his work long after the creator is gone. As art is made by the artist but is now left alone, standing for itself, being even bigger than its maker. Art has a dual power of healing, giving the creator freedom and the observer of art pleasure or connection, or that feeling of being seen, of being expressed in an adequate way. And maybe a percentage of humans who are touched by art will make their own art and the cycle carries on.
The poetry of Bukowski makes you ask the question, why is this moment in particular made into a poem? Why is this man the hero of the poem, or its antihero? What does he pay attention to these things and not the other?
And all of this is wrapped in simple, colloquial language which can reach the wide masses and they can understand it if they do spend a moment or two reflecting on each poem.
Final thoughts: Bukowski writes with a lot of heart, showcasing both the downs and the rare ups of human existence, this collection in particular has some of the best aspects of his writing and serves as a good introduction to his poems.
------------------------------------------------------
Still one of my favorite poetry collections; review to come.
Bukowski is not saying that every "Succesful" person is cold, ruthless, and hypocritical nor is he saying that every drunk has a beautiful soul and a sharp wit, he is acknowledging the existence of the bad in what is presented as good and the good in what society presents as bad.
Darkness
darkness falls upon Humanity
and faces become terrible
things
that wanted more than there
was.
all our days are marked with
unexpected
affronts - some
disastrous, others
less so
but the process is
wearing and
continuous.
attrition rules.
most give
way
leaving
empty spaces
where people should
be.
and now
as we ready to self-destruct
there is very little left to
kill
which makes the tragedy
less and more
much much
more.”
The real enemy for Bukowski is the collective that represses the individual. It's fitting inside boxes of modern society, into the roles set by something inhuman.
Bukowski is almost like a disappointed idealist, his values are ones of good (compassion, kindness, humanism) but life offers rare chances of reciprocation and leads his characters into a downward spiral of developing bad habits (gambling, drinking, drug abuse) to cope with their dissatisfaction with life. There are many poems that he wrote where he expresses that the moments of happiness and enjoyment are ones of genuine connection with other people and art.
Miracle
I have just listened to this
symphony which Mozart dashed off
in one day
and it had enough wild and crazy
joy to last
forever,
whatever forever
is
Mozart came as close as
possible to
that.
That’s where the role of art comes along, it’s this ability of one man to express himself with no binds, and for another to connect with his work long after the creator is gone. As art is made by the artist but is now left alone, standing for itself, being even bigger than its maker. Art has a dual power of healing, giving the creator freedom and the observer of art pleasure or connection, or that feeling of being seen, of being expressed in an adequate way. And maybe a percentage of humans who are touched by art will make their own art and the cycle carries on.
The poetry of Bukowski makes you ask the question, why is this moment in particular made into a poem? Why is this man the hero of the poem, or its antihero? What does he pay attention to these things and not the other?
And all of this is wrapped in simple, colloquial language which can reach the wide masses and they can understand it if they do spend a moment or two reflecting on each poem.
Final thoughts: Bukowski writes with a lot of heart, showcasing both the downs and the rare ups of human existence, this collection in particular has some of the best aspects of his writing and serves as a good introduction to his poems.
------------------------------------------------------
Still one of my favorite poetry collections; review to come.