Charles Bukowski (40 page)

The Bukowski/Purdy Letters
:
1964–1974
(Paget Press, 1983)
Note
: Selected correspondence of Bukowski and the Canadian poet, Al Purdy, whose work Bukowski greatly admired. The two men never met.

Screams from the Balcony: Selected Letters 1960–1970
(Black Sparrow Press, 1993)
Note
: The first of three substantial volumes of Bukowski’s general correspondence.

Living on Luck: Selected Letters 1960s–1970s, Volume 2
(Black Sparrow Press, 1995)

Reach For the Sun: Selected Letters 1978–1994, Volume 3
(Black Sparrow Press, 1999)

Beerspit Night and Cursing: The Correspondence of Charles
Bukowski and Sheri Martinelli, 1960–1967
(Black Sparrow Press, 2001)

Bukowski at Bellevue
(Black Sparrow Press/Visionary, no date) Note: Although not released until the 1990s, this is a video film of one of Bukowski’s earliest public readings recorded by students at Bellevue College, Washington State, in 1970. Technical quality is very poor.

Bukowski
(KCET, 1973)
Note
: A black and white documentary directed by Taylor Hackford. It features Bukowski reading in San Francisco and includes footage of rival girlfriends, Linda King and Liza Williams. The film was made for Los Angeles public television station, KCET.

Charles Bukowski
–
East Hollywood
(Thomas Schmitt, 1976) Note: A black and white documentary film featuring rare footage of Bukowski with his girlfriend, Cupcakes, whom he dated after splitting with Linda King.

Tales of Ordinary Madness
(23 Giugno/Ginis Film Paris, 1981) Note: Directed by Marco Ferreri and starring the American actor Ben Gazzara, this European art house film is based on
short stories by Bukowski. He took no part in the making of the film, and did not like it.

Crazy
Love
(Mainline Pictures, 1987)
Note
: A Belgian-made movie directed by Dominique Deruddere and based on three short stories by Bukowski who had nothing to do with its making. However, he considered it the best adaptation of his work.

The Charles Bukowski Tapes
(Les Films du Losange, 1987)
Note
: Made by Barbet Schroeder while trying to raise money to make
Barfly
, this fascinating video tape documentary consists of Bukowski talking directly to camera about his life and work. It is divided into fifty-two short sequences, most filmed at Bukowski’s house in San Pedro, California, but there is also footage of Bukowski touring his old haunts in East Hollywood and revisiting the house on Longwood Avenue where he was brought up. Original copies are rare as hen’s teeth, but bootlegged versions are sometimes seen.

Barfly
(Cannon, 1987)
Note
: The motion picture starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, and directed by Barbet Schroeder. Bukowski wrote the screenplay and makes a non-speaking cameo appearance as a barfly in the scene when Chinaski meets Wanda.

I’m Still Here
(Tag/Traum, 1990)
Note
: A German television documentary filmed in color by Thomas Schmitt. It includes footage of Bukowski at home in San Pedro following his bout of tuberculosis.

The Ordinary Madness of Charles Bukowski
(British Broadcasting Corporation, 1995)
Note
: A documentary film made as part of the BBC’s
Bookmark
series on modern authors. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom after Bukowski’s death.

Apporte-moi ton amour
(Rascasse Productions, 2002)
Note
: a short French film based on a Bukowski story directed, surprisingly, by former soccer star Eric Cantona.

Born into This
(Magnolia Pictures, 2003)
Note
: a well-made, feature-length documentary directed by John Dullaghan and including an array of Bukowski’s associates.

Factotum
(Aztec International, 2005)
Note
: Directed by Bent Hamer, this subtle and powerful movie may be the best film adaptation of Bukowski’s work. The source book is Bukowski’s
second novel, updated to the present day. Matt Dillon is convincing as Henry Chinaski, and actresses Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei are excellent as his girlfriends (both characters based on Jane Cooney Baker).

There are plans for further film adaptations of Bukowski’s work. Taylor Hackford owns the rights to
Post Office
, and has talked to Sean Penn about playing Henry Chinaski. The director, Paul Verhoeven, owns film rights to
Women
.

Bukowski/Poems & Insults!
(City Lights Books, 1972)
Note
: A recording of Bukowski’s appearance at the Poet’s Theater in September, 1972.

Hostage
(Rhino Records/1994)
Note
: This is a recording of a reading at Redondo Beach, California, in 1980. It has also been packaged and sold as
Absolutely Live in Redondo Beach!

Bukowski Reads his Poetry
(Black Sparrow Graphic Arts, 1995)

At Terror Street and Agony Way
(King Mob, 1998)
Note
: This is the album Barry Miles made for Zapple, as described in Chapter 6.

King of Poets
(Chinaski, 2003)
Note
: Poems apparently recorded in New Orleans in 1970.

Solid Citizen – Live in Hamburg
(Chinaski, 2003)
Note
: Recorded during Bukowski’s 1978 return to Germany, as described in Chapter 12.

Several of these are memoirs published in small editions.

A Bibliography of Charles Bukowski
by Sanford Dorbin (Black Sparrow Press, 1969)

Charles Bukowski: A Critical and Bibliographical Study
by Hugh Fox (Abyss Publications, 1969)

Bukowski: Friendship, Fame and Bestial Myth
by Jory Sherman (Blue Horse Publications, 1981)

All’s Normal Here
edited by Loss Pequeno Glazier (Ruddy Duck Press, 1985)
Note
: A collection of work about Bukowski by his friends. It also includes letters and some original work by Bukowski.

The King of San Pedro
by David Barker (Richard G. Wong & Co, 1985)
Note
: A curious miniature book, it gives the basic facts of Bukowski’s biography.

Bukowski (Photographs 1977–1987)
by Michael Montfort (Graham Mackintosh, 1987)
Note
: Printed for an exhibition of Michael Montfort’s photographs in Hamburg, Germany.

The Poet’s Craft
edited by William Packard (Paragon House, 1987)
Note
: Chapter twenty-three reprints an interview Bukowski gave to the
New York Quarterly
about his method of writing.

Whitman’s Wild Children
by Neeli Cherkovski (The Lapis Press, 1988)
Note
: The first chapter, ‘Notes on a Dirty Old Man’, is about Bukowski.

Sure
edited by Ed Smith (published by Ed Smith, 1991–1994)
Note
: The ten volumes of the news letter,
Sure
, published by Ed Smith between 1991 and 1994, include a wealth of information.

In Search of Literary LA
by Lionel Rolfe (California Classics Books, 1991)
Note
: This contains one chapter about Bukowski, ‘Tales of an Extraordinary Madman’, based on the evening of the première of
Tales of Ordinary Madness
.

Hank
by Neeli Cherkovski (Random House, 1991)
Note
: Later re-issued by Steerforth Press.

Bukowski
by Michael Montfort (Michael Montfort, 1993)
Note
: A limited edition of photographs.

Against the American Dream: Essays on Charles Bukowski
by
Russell Harrison (Black Sparrow Press, 1994)
Note
: A critical study of Bukowski’s work.

Blowing My Hero
by Amber O’Neil (Amber O’Neil Productions, 1995)
Note
: Amber O’Neil is a pseudonym for one of Bukowski’s former girlfriends who self-published this memoir after reading what he wrote about her in
Women
. The title relates to Amber giving Bukowski oral sex. Amber was obliged to withdraw
Blowing My Hero
from sale after a complaint from Bukowski’s estate that she did not have permission to reprint letters from Bukowski.

Das ist Alles
:
Charles Bukowski Recollected
edited by Joan Jobe Smith (Pearl Editions, 1995)
Note
: A collection of poems by friends and admirers of Bukowski published following his death. FrancEyE and Linda King are among the contributors.

Das war’s
by Gundolf S. Freyermuth with photographs by Michael Montfort (Rasch und Röhring, 1996)
Note
: Published in Germany, this book contains the last interview Bukowski gave and is illustrated with photographs by Michael Montfort.

Spinning off Bukowski
by Steve Richmond (Sun Dog Press, 1996)
Note
: An engaging memoir by Bukowski’s friend of many years, it is widely available.

Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet
by Gerald Locklin (Water Row Press, 1996)

The Charles Bukowski/Second Coming Years
by A. D. Winans (The Beat Scene Press, 1996)

The Buk Book
Text by Jim Christy with photos by Claude Powell (ECW Press, 1997)
Note
: This features photographs of Bukowski groping his former neighbor, Tina Darby.

Charles Bukowski
by Gay Brewer (Twaynes United States Authors Series, 1997)
Note
: An excellent critical study of Bukowski’s work.

Sixty-Seven Poems for Downtrodden Saints
by Jack Micheline (FMSBW, 1997)
Note
: An anthology of Jack Micheline’s writings over the years, it contains various pieces about Bukowski including the prose-poem, ‘Long After Midnight’.

Bukowski in the Bathtub
edited by Philomene Long (Raven of Temple of Man, 1997)
Note
: Transcripts of conversations between Bukowski and his friend, John Thomas.

A Descriptive Bibliography of the Primary Publications of Charle
s
Bukowski
by Aaron Krumhansl (Black Sparrow Press, 1999)

Bukowski in Pictures
by Howard Sounes (Rebel Inc., 2000)
Note
: After I had finished my biography of Bukowski I found I had hundreds of photographs of the man, and places and people of interest in his life, mostly pictures never seen before, and so put together this photographic biography.

Bukowski for Beginners
by Carlos Polimeni (Writers & Readers, 2000)

Art, Survival and So Forth
by Jules Smith (Wrecking Ball Press, 2000)

Charles Bukowski: Laughing With the Gods
–
Interviews by
Fernando Pivano
(Sun Dog Press, 2000)
Note
: All the Sun Dog books about Bukowski have interest.

Drinking with Bukowski: Recollections of the Poet Laureate
of Skid Row
by Daniel Weizmann (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2001)

Bukowski and the Beats
by Jean-François Duval (Sun Dog Press, 2002)

The Hunchback of East Hollywood: A Biography of Charles
Bukowski
by Aubrey Malone (Critical Vision, 2003)

Charles Bukowski: Sunlight Here I Am – Interviews and Encounters edited by David Stephen Calonne (Sun Dog Press, 2004)

Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles (Virgin Books, 2005)
Note
: Miles knew Bukowski, as I describe in Chapter 6. Furthermore he is an experienced and accomplished biographer, his life of Allen Ginsberg being authoritative. This biography, however, is impoverished by a lack of original research, leaning instead on previous books by other writers, not least my own biography of Bukowski.