What a piece of shit. So does changing jobs all the time. Every time I read Bukowski’s prose I think, Man, he never even used a metaphor. Charles Bukowski’s second novel, Factotum, was published in 1975. Factotum takes place in 1944 and follows the life of Chinaski in his search for a job that will not separate him from his writing. I say that because it broadly lacks the dark humour that makes reading about his characters' small tragedies bearable and even compelling. Excellent narrative that peers into the nature of a directionless young adult who finds sanity at the bottom of a bottle. As with most of what he wrote its supposed to be loosely based on his real life experiences. He wanders much, cares for little, and drinks all. It could mean jail. Charles Bukowski's Factotum. There is no other feeling like that. Every writer should read at least one Bukowski novel, as a sort of liver cleanser. It could mean not eating for three or four days. Factotum (1975) is the second novel by German born American author Charles Bukowski. Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Chronologically, the novel picks up where Ham on Rye (1982) ends. There were times while reading this short novel that I had to stop and wonder if my aspiration to one day be the female Bukowski is either setting my sights too high or placing the bar too low. Picking the best Charles Bukowski quotes in any work is tough. This could mean losing girlfriends, … Buk speaking to a bunch of creative writing students, in “You Don’t Know What Love Is”: I have a sort of pre-emptive dislike-verging-on-loathing of Bukowski, which I think is rooted in my post-adolescent rejection of and disillusionment with the Beat writers (whom I absolutely adored in high school). I find such comfort in his distressing words. This is pretty typical Bukowski. I can’t get over how conceited Bukowski is, how conceited his books and intentions are, or the way he treats his audience. Jesus' Son: Stories (Picador Modern Classics Book 3), The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Remarkable Story About Living Your Dreams, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. I love this poem about the drunken Charles Bukowski, written by Raymond Carver, depicting (fictional?) For the record, I am no intellectual, I am not of the thinking it has to be hard to read to be good, but, for me, Factotum read like it was written by a 15 year old trying to imagine what a hard drinking womaniser would be like. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. US band Hot Water Music was named after Bukowski's book of the same name. A great read, incredible man, though I'd recommend checking out Post Office first, get more of a feel for the character in the right order. You know, don't know what the fuss is about. He has no respect for women or anyone else for that matter, and drinks himself into a state of absolute despair just so he can write about his depressive life in order to persuade the rest of the public to feel better about themselves (I assume). Bile. Refresh and try again. This is Factotum. A foul excuse for contemporary literature- it's more like contemptuous literature. Unable to add item to List. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. I’ve never read Bukowski before, but I’ve seen. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Waste. This is the first Bukowski novel I read - I chose it because the movie version was coming out, and I wanted to read the book first. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski. My first Bukowski novel... couldn't put it down. Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019. It just made me sad. 1 : a person having many diverse menial tasks or responsibilities. Working sucks. by Ecco. A masochistic life reaching for nothing more than the next bottle, the next slut and the next factotum position. He takes you for a walk on the wild side and down skid row from the comfort of your own space. He died in 1994 and is widely acknowledged as one of the most distinctive writers of the last fifty years. Have a drink. Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. Factotum is the story of the young Bukowski, the Bukowski that was rolling from a job to another, from a town to another, from a woman to another, in an impressive collections of failures--failed jobs, failed relationships, failed everything all told with a considerable amount of irony. In any given month, the range of new books hitting the shelves can be frankly astonishing. There’s nothing insightful in the book anywhere. Not that I mean to follow the "Factotum" path :), "More realistic and true to life of a young man in a foreign place", "Its a good book that many will find interesting", "A very easy, fun to read book that kept my attention". He was raised in Los Angeles and lived there for over fifty years. My thoughts are all over the place. Charles Bukowski's posthumous legend continues to grow. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. But this ranks right up alongside Post Office and Ham on Rye as his best novels, and is among my favorite things he has written. - New York Times 2Funny and sharp, observant, clever with details and honest. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Factotum by Charles Bukowski has Henry Chinaski telling the story of how, in a perennial alcoholic fog, he drifts from city to city, trying and discarding jobs and women. Please try your request again later. Charles Bukowski is one of America’s best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. Usually I don’t like books by writers about writing, but he usually handles it well (when does he have time to write?). Henry Chinaski drifts through the seedy city streets of lower-class LA in search of a job. One thing I know of, is that it left me thinking and challenging the only right way of living. It's the only good fight there is.”. Would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different and honestly quite eye-opening! A really good book - not too long and a great intro to Bukowski and his style of writing. His day-to-day existence spirals into an endless litany of pathetic whores, sordid rooms, dreary embraces, and drunken brawls, as he makes his bitter, brilliant way from one drink to the next. The best stuff in this is his humorous accounts of working various disposable menial jobs. The novel, which was the second written by Charles Bukowski, was published in 1975. He has no respect for women or anyone else for that matter, and drinks himself into a state of absolute despair just so he can write about his depressive life in order to persuade the rest of the public to feel better about themselves (I assume). Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski. When the undercurrent of life starts to pull you away even struggling against it can take you further away...this book is the perfect example of this. Factotum by Charles Bukowski, narrated by Christian Baskous. I am enjoying this book so much it almost defies words. So, before we commence,… The humor interspersed with the transience and violence is hilarious. Compared with Post Office and Women, Factotum is my least-favourite Bukowski novel. A perpetually unemployed alcoholic. Bukowski is very funny, a fact w. This is pretty typical Bukowski. But his writing works with a type of lightning that is amazing, hypnotic to read. Still, you can't have everything, and it's important to follow the exploits of Henry Chinaski as far as the road takes him. Factotum follows Charles Bukowski's bestselling Post Office, his highly autobiographical first novel. Bukowski's Beat Generation writing reflects his slum upbringing, his succession of menial jobs and his experience of low life urban America. Factotum is the second in the series, and probably one of the weaker ones. Bukowski. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski. Chuck Buck prides himself as a worthless human filled with anger and bitterness towards all his fellow men. If you can get beyond his annoying habit of trying to convince you of how tough he is and exagerrating if not out and out lying about the frequency of his sexual encounters and the quality of the women involved then its a good quick read for a laugh. --This text refers to an alternate. I became aware of Charles Bukowski through (of all places) Facebook memes (Example: “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”) When I saw this book advertised I thought it would be filled with pages of such insightful musings. What is your favourite Charles Bukowski book. Deferred from military service, Chinaski travels from city to city, moving listlessly from one odd job to another, always needing money but never badly enough to keep a job. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2013. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2021. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Bukowski is very funny, a fact which seems to get lost in the shuffle by the lame hipsters who comprise the bulk of the fans of his work. But it quickly won me over mixing sincere and simple writing with a pinch of comedy. - Times Literary Supplement 3A side-splitting chronicle ... dirty realism from the godfather of lowlife literature - Uncut 4Its genius is simple and it shines a wee candle on the life of an aspiring poet and home-relief applicant - Bizarre" - This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. You either can go there or you can't. Somehow, that path gives greater impact to those beautiful moments. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. There is a primitive, visceral draw. He was born in 1920 in Andernach, Germany, to an American soldier father and a German mother, and brought to the United States at the age of two. “If you're going to try, go all the way. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of seventy-three, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp. World War II, America and Henry Chinaski. That's just a testament to how great the others are, Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2017. It made me feel uncomfortable at first to read about a guy who basically spends his life drinking and switching crappy jobs. Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020. I guess he’s sort of a modern day Oscar Wilde or Elephant Man, but reading his books gives me the impression that most people that read him think the jokes on the other readers, that the jokes not on them, that they’re “with it.” That’s a little too much macho bullshit headgames for me. Please try again. This is the kind of book that if you lose track of it you will turn your room upside down to find it again (even if it turns out afterwards you just left it downstairs). Waste. As with most of what he wrote its supposed to be loosely based on his real life experiences. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good. Charles Bukowski is one of America’s best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. This one is short and, at times, a bit scattered, but like the others, it is always interesting and well-written. Published when Bukowski was in his mid-50’s and starting to reach a wider readership, “Factotum” presents the age-old struggle of man against mediocrity. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2017. The bar is pretty noisy, this singer's all. He is consistently rejected by the only publishing house he respects but he is driven by the knowledge that he could do better than the authors they publish. ©1975 Charles Bukowski (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers Featured Article: 40 Inspirational Quotes About Hope Hope is one of life’s greatest miracles. Factotum May 8, 2017 by Gissinglover Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) was an underground writer of poems stories, and novels who has exerted a fascination over me for many years. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020, For personal reading does what it says on the tin, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2012, It is the first book of Bukowski that I've ever read. Henry Chinaski arrives in New Orleans, depressed, hoping a new city will make a difference. The best stuff in this is his humorous accounts of working various disposable menial jobs. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. That is the title of Charles Bukowski’s most socially unacceptable book. I guess he’s sort of a modern day Oscar Wilde or Elephant Man, but reading his books gives me the impression that most people that read him think the j. Bukowski is one of my all-time favorites. Anyone out there disagree? Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. He's not sure. His day-to-day existence spirals into an. Then I have to reread and prove myself wrong. Deferred from military service, Chinaski travels from city to city, moving listlessly from one odd job to another, always needing money but never badly enough to keep a job. Won ’ t get you far on Professional Moron download the free App, enter your mobile number email... 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