Absence Of The Hero: Uncollected Stories And Essays: V. 2: 1946 1992

Author: Charles Bukowski

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $34.99 AUD
  • : 9780872865310
  • : City Lights Books
  • : City Lights Books
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  • : 0.414
  • : May 2010
  • : 229mm X 152mm X 19mm
  • : United States
  • : 21.99
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Charles Bukowski
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  • : Paperback
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  • : 813.54
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  • :
  • : 300
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Barcode 9780872865310
9780872865310

Description

Everyone's favorite Dirty Old Man returns with a new volume of uncollected work. Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), one of the most outrageous figures of twentieth-century American literature, was so prolific that many significant pieces never found their way into his books. Absence of the Hero contains much of his earliest fiction, unseen in decades, as well as a number of previously unpublished stories and essays. The classic Bukowskian obsessions are here: sex, booze, and gambling, along with trenchant analysis of what he calls "Playing and Being the Poet." Among the book's highlights are tales of his infamous public readings ("The Big Dope Reading," "I Just Write Poetry So I Can Go to Bed with Girls"); a review of his own first book; hilarious installments of his newspaper column, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, including meditations on neo-Nazis and driving in Los Angeles; and an uncharacteristic tale of getting lost in the Utah woods ("Bukowski Takes a Trip"). Yet the book also showcases the other Bukowski-an astute if offbeat literary critic.
From his own "Manifesto" to his account of poetry in Los Angeles ("A Foreword to These Poets") to idiosyncratic evaluations of Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley, LeRoi Jones, and Louis Zukofsky, Absence of the Hero reveals the intellectual hidden beneath the gruff exterior. Our second volume of his uncollected prose, Absence of the Hero is a major addition to the Bukowski canon, essential for fans, yet suitable for new readers as an introduction to the wide range of his work.

Reviews

Portions: "...Some of the most sublime narratives Bukowski's ever produced... If Bukowski fans find their personal library lacking this spirited collection, I'd suggest they be quick to snag a copy." --East Bay Literary Examiner "An important cornerstone... Essential reading for Bukowki fans... as well as anyone interested in the development of modern American literature."-Small Press Review "Portions... has a preciseness of language... [and] the spark that made Bukowski a Los Angeles icon in the first place."-LA Times "City Lights take their Bukowski uncollected stories and essays seriously and David Calonne has meticulously assembled and documented the two volumes of this series... this is essential reading for every Bukophile." -- Bold Monkey "[Bukowski] seems to be one of those rare writers who learns not by emulating a given model but by reading his own stuff as he writes and rediscovering for himself the dignity of form... A low-life raconteur and a dimestore perv, Bukowski was the life of the party night after night. When you open any of his books, that party goes on."-- Said Shirazi, Fifth Wednesday Journal

Author description

Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany in 1920 and brought to Los Angeles at age three. Using the city as a backdrop for his work, Bukowski wrote prolifically, publishing over fifty volumes of poetry and prose. He died in San Pedro, California on March 9, 1994. His books are widely translated and posthumous volumes continue to appear. David Calonne is the editor of a previous book of uncollected Bukowski, Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook, as well as a volume of interviews, Charles Bukowski: Sunshine Here I Am. He presently teaches at East Michigan University. David Calonne is the editor of a previous book of uncollected Bukowski, Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook, as well as a volume of interviews, Charles Bukowski: Sunshine Here I Am. He presently teaches at East Michigan University.