No matter what you might think of writer Charles Bukowski (literary genius, overrated drunk or something in between), you've got to admit he was prolific as hell. Even though he died 14 years ago with dozens of titles to his credit, his books have kept pouring forth, with collections of previously unpublished work emerging almost annually.
Just this month, City Lights Publishers brings us Portions From a Wine-Stained Notebook: Uncollected Stories and Essays, 1944-1990. The contents are wide-ranging and include many pieces unavailable since their original appearance in underground newspapers and literary journals.
Consider me a devoted fan of the legendary Buk (rhymes with "puke," the author explained). It's a thrill to live vicariously through his inebriated and sordid exploits in lowlife Los Angeles. Where so many late 20th-century scribes fell short, Bukowski got it just right – in an authentic and bad-ass way.
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