I read this a while back, but I saw it recently at the local library so I thought I'd give it another go. It's semi-autobiographical, as it was written after Bukowski (apparently) endured the experience of one of his own novels being transformed into a screenplay, and all the associated trappings which clearly left an impression (or a case of PTS(d)). In other news: if art imitates life, it's a wonder any movies are ever made at all! My favorite aspect of this book is its collection of eccentricities who appear throughout, almost cartoon-like, which is both humorous and lamentable at the same time.
That my enjoyment of fiction whose characters are the embodiment of the term pathetic increases exponentially proportional to the amount of misery they are subjected to is somewhat disturbing to me. So, no surprise here that this novel is hilarious in its lampooning of the stereotypical entertainment types, hard-living, hard-boozing lunatics who seemingly pantomime their way through their sad existence. I don't drink, so it's probably not all that surprising that didn't relate to this one all that well. Actually, I'm more a fan of Bukowski's poetry than his novels, but this was humorous, at the very least.
-----------Notable Passages---------
The gods had sent Sarah to add ten years to my life. The gods kept driving me toward the blade, then, at the last moment, lifting my head off the block. Very strange, those gods.
That my enjoyment of fiction whose characters are the embodiment of the term pathetic increases exponentially proportional to the amount of misery they are subjected to is somewhat disturbing to me. So, no surprise here that this novel is hilarious in its lampooning of the stereotypical entertainment types, hard-living, hard-boozing lunatics who seemingly pantomime their way through their sad existence. I don't drink, so it's probably not all that surprising that didn't relate to this one all that well. Actually, I'm more a fan of Bukowski's poetry than his novels, but this was humorous, at the very least.
-----------Notable Passages---------
The gods had sent Sarah to add ten years to my life. The gods kept driving me toward the blade, then, at the last moment, lifting my head off the block. Very strange, those gods.
