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Charles Bukowski (1920-1994)

Charles Bukowski, born in 1920, began writing at a young age and was first published in the 1940s. Then Bukowksi gave up writing for the world of work and bars, not publishing, not writing, so the myth goes, for nearly twenty years. Ten of those years were spent roaming from odd job to odd roominghouse from the East coast to the West. The other ten years, Bukowski worked for the United States Postal Service in Los Angeles, a job that took no effort except for the strength to show up and the patience to perform mindless operations. During that time, his life bordered on insanity and death, two prevalent themes in his writing. According to his own myth making, Bukowski returned to writing the day that he quit the Postal Service, but his bibliography shows that indeed, he had been publishing several years before that.
Bukowksi's first generally recognized publication date is in the 1960s, yet citations from the early 60s exist in Sanford Dorbin's early bibliography, and The Roominghouse Madrigals prints poems from the late 40s.
The fact is that Bukowski has published extensively in various small literary publications for over thirty years. These publications exist in small numbers and are difficult if not impossible to find. Fortunately, John Martin of Black Sparrow Press has managed to cull together these poems and stories over several collections, until catching up with his contemporary writings in the 80s.
In total, there are over forty books in print written by Bukowski. Since his death on March 9, 1994, a growing number of books deal with Bukowski as a critical source and literary legend.
Although Bukowski was never truly associated with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, or other major Beat writers, his informal style and non-conforming literary approach has endeared him to readers of the Beat genre.


\'자유로운 영혼\'은 아주 드물다. 그러나 당신이 이를 볼 때 당신은 이를 알게 된다. 근본적으로 당신이 그들 곁에, 또는 그들과 더불어 있으면 당신은 기분이 더 할 수 없이 좋아지기 때문이다
나는 참으로 통계를 그다지 신뢰하지 않는다. 머리가 뜨거운 오븐 안에 있고, 두 발이 냉동기 안에 있는 사람은 통계적으로 평균 체온이 되지 않는가
당신이 그들을 아주 잘 알지 못한다면 인간을 사랑할 수도 있다
민주주의와 독재정권의 차이는, 민주주의는 당신이 먼저 선거를 하고 그 후에 명령을 받는 반면; 독재정권에선 투표를 하느냐고 시간을 낭비할 필요가 없다는 것 뿐이다
위대한 사람들은 가장 고독한 사람들이다