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Charles Bukowski

219 quotesPoet · Born Aug 16, 1920 · Died Mar 9, 1994 · American · Male

Henry Charles Bukowski (born Heinrich Karl Bukowski; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-born American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. His work addresses the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work. Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over 60 books. The FBI kept a file on him as a result of his column, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, in the LA underground newspaper Open City. In 1986 Time called Bukowski a "laureate of American lowlife". Regarding Bukowski's enduring popular appeal, Adam Kirsch of The New Yorker wrote, "the secret of Bukowski's appeal. . . [is that] he combines the confessional poet's promise of intimacy with the larger-than-life aplomb of a pulp-fiction hero." 2Life 3Family and early years Charles Bukowski was born as Heinrich Karl Bukowski in Andernach, Germany, to Heinrich (Henry) Bukowski, a German-American in the U.S. army of occupation after World War I who remained in Germany after his army service, and Katharina (née Fett). His paternal grandfather Leonard Bukowski, an ethnic German, had immigrated to America from the German Empire in the 1880

All Love (53)Life (23)Relationships (14)Poetry (13)Writing (12)romance (11)Alone (10)Desire (8)Pain (8)poem (7)Happiness (7)Perspective (6)Relationship (6)Intimacy (6)Loneliness (6)

From “You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense”

The courage it took to get out of bed each morning to face the same things over and over was enormous.

Courage Enormous

It has been a beautiful fight. Still is.

Courage Amusement Brave

There is a place in the heart that will never be filled and we will wait and wait in that space.

Empty heart Love Filling spaces Emptiness

If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean…

Having nothing to struggle against, they have nothing to struggle for.

Struggle Challenge Obstacles

there's no clarity. there was never meant to be clarity.

Clarity Understanding Finding Your Way Confusion

the courage it took to get out of bed each morning to face the same things over and over was enormous.

Life Apathy Depression The Daily Grind

it has been a beautiful fight still is.

Poetry Fight Struggle Life

the area dividing the brain and the soul is affected in many ways by experience – some lose all mind and become soul: insane. some lose all soul and become mind: intellectual. some lose both and become: accepted.

Insanity Passion Soul Spirit Mind

regret is mostly caused by not having done anything.

Regret Life Living Fully Making Mistakes

From “Tales Of Ordinary Madness”

it's nice to look up sometimes, it's nice to have heroes, it's nice to have somebody else carrying some of the load.

Life Wishful Thinking Living living and surviving

I felt like crying but nothing came out. It was just a sort of sad sickness, sick sad, when you can’t feel any worse. I think you know it. I think everybody knows it now and then. But I think I have known it pretty often, too often.

Sadness

The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.

Free Soul Goodness Positive Vibration

The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.

Free Soul Soul Free Spirit Goodness Goodness of People

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.

Pain hurt

Beauty is nothing, beauty won’t stay. You don’t know how lucky you are to be ugly, because if people like you, you know it’s for something else.

beauty character

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.

Pain Masking Pain Addiction Struggle Escapism

From “Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way”

sifting through the madness for The Word, the line, the way, hoping for a check from somewhere, dreaming of a letter from a great editor, 'Chinaski, you don't know how long we've been waiting for you!' no chance at all.

Poetry How to be a writer Writing

Nobody can save you but yourself and you’re worth saving.

Independence Success Saving Yourself Self-improvement

From “So You Want To Be A Writer ”

if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it.

Writing Passion Compulsion

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