Post Office

This was a reread (after many many years) for a book club, and I must say... I thought it wasn’t that great this time around.

I loved the sense of humor, and the absurdity of it all. It's a great book for when you need to occupy your mind with some stupid things (that do not include a screen, lol).

I loved the book, so I wrote an ode, instead of a review: And you thought you wanted the yellow, but you forgot you have a Bukowski soul you thought leaving would be the solution but you knew, didn't you? that life is grey so this pursuit of black and white is always futile? now you are here and it is struggle all the same but sweeter, where the realities of an 8 hour job don't make you uncomfortable Bukowski said so, didn't he? he also once called love a dog from hell and you cannot agree more: the truth transcends time zones and geographies but you are a hero, just like Bukowski at the post office lack of, and yet inspiration, and so tragedy permeates your life, for which the story is under production took you long, didn't it? long enough to realise what it was, you were after It just eludes you, doesn't it? what do you think can cure this malady? cure you say, is a far-cry and bring in humour to cope because you remember Bukowski telling you to laugh at the odds something about death trembling at the life you lived the touch conspicuous by its absence the letters undelivered words unsaid, emails not sent is the fleeting tragedy you can drink to. but bottles won't suffice to undo the evil magic of this lack in five years' time and you thought you wanted the yellow, but you forgot you have a Bukowski soul greys are all you need, greys are all you want, greys are all you will ever have.

This was a re-read for me. Bukowski delves into his own life experiences and shares real events. Like his other works, this novel is seen as repugnant, vulgar, and depraved, yet it remains a remarkable piece of literature. The narrative is presented in first person, with the protagonist named Chinasky, who is at peace with the world, he doesn’t try to fight it, he doesn’t try to change it, but rather embraces things as they are, without complaint or self-pity, even in the face of adversity. He has no resentment towards Fay, who chooses to leave him along with their daughter, nor towards his wife Joice, who abandons him for another man. The concept of the future is hardly mentioned; Chinasky's focus lies solely in the present. He accepts himself as a loser without frustration. While Chinasky may not be regarded as a role model, it raises the question of whether we invest too much energy into insignificant things that disrupt our existence.

My first Bukowski, which is not going to be the last. The novel is ridiculously funny and incredibly sad at the same time. Henry Chinaski by a turn of fate ends up wasting twelve years of his life in a post office among overachieving supervisors and strange company policies. I think anyone, who has ever had a dead-end job can relate to many situations that Chinaski is exposed to. What is tragic about his character is his total lack of will to escape such life. Instead he invests his efforts into booze, horses and easy women. I don't normally go all feminist on books written more than twenty years ago, because I take these annoyances as a product of time, but Bukowski's portrayal of his character's relationships knocked the rating down a star for me. Chinaski just floats around from girl to girl, moving into their places, laying around, drinking and eating their food, and taking very little responsibility for the impact he has on their lives. But to his credit, he never gets vindictive towards women who leave him, remembers that he has a daughter and whats to be a part of her life, and lets his lovers choose for themselves what they want from life. Maybe I'll revisit the book in twelve years and see how useful my own time on earth will be.

Nasty, but so is life if you're nasty. The casual rape scene and casual racism should prompt us to ask why Bukowski wanted us to hate Chinaski, who is generally a close Imitation of him, a facsimile factotum.

** spoiler alert ** TRIGGER WARNING: At least one rape. The narrator rapes and gets raped. No idea what to say about this book... 2.5.

Funny at parts, annoying at parts.

** spoiler alert ** TRIGGER WARNING: At least one rape. The narrator rapes and gets raped. No idea what to say about this book... 2.5.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I read 'Woman' first and felt like it was a hard act to follow. By no means is it even close to being better than 'Woman' it certainly holds its own. The story, like 'Woman', can get rather samey at times but Bukowski has a wonderful way of creating a rhythmic pace so you're never on a specific plot line for very long before you're on to the next one. Keeps things refreshing. If you work a job that you hate this is a critical read for you.

This was my first Bukowski. I enjoyed reading it in a single sitting. It is fairly readable but the style is a bit harsh. I would suggest reading his poems than his novels. The work does relaxes you up a bit as you go through reading it. It is as if you are seeing a small biopic. He talks to you.

i didnt like the story but i loved bukowski's writing style enough to give this 3 stars

Beautifully trashy