Customer Reviews (1)

A Flawed Gem
It's been several years since I read this early work of Bukowski's--while sitting in a special collections room at the Washington University library (they have an excellent archive of contemporary American writers).Fromwhat I recall, this collection typifies Bukowski's poetry of the 50s and60s.His writing is tentative and uneven, his style is still somewhatuncertain, but the passion and vitality are quite evident.It's a smallvolume in which Bukowski-- having only recently turned to writing poetry inearnest--is still experimenting with the form.He had not yet found hiscolloquial, natural voice nor had he developed the "Chinaskian"persona that would dominate his work by the late-1970s.I recommend thisvolume to any Bukowski enthusiast who wants to explore the emergence anddevelopment of his poetic talents.It's a rather uneven and flawed book,but entertaining, evocative and sometimes beautiful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Buk Is Alive And Well In CD Heaven
This CD was the first one I bought when I first began to expand into the "audio" portion of my Bukowski collection. I've collected most of the BSP books, a few chapbooks, etc., and I can't get enough of this album!This CD, released barely a year after his death (this is the 'abridged'1996 edition of the 1995 release), is an excellent example of him readinghis poetry, recorded in the 1960s, and is also a great beginner CD foranyone wanting to hear Hank laugh, cough, and read some of his moreimportant poems to date, such as "Sundays kill more men thanbombs," "Winter comes to a lot of places in August," "a340 horse and a hundred dollar whore" and his classic poem of lovelost and money made, "Fire Station." I HIGHLY reccommend buyingthis CD for the history, the voice, and the almost desperate passion in hismonotone, droning voice, intoning to you that he wasn't important, but hispoetry was, and oh God yes, I'm glad I've been lucky enough to not onlyknow it, and read it, but HEAR it! So pull up a chair, light up a goodcigar, crack open a beer, and let Bukowski do the driving for you! This CDis approx. 61:13 minutes long, and well worth the price! Good luck! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's in German
It's in German, a fact I must have glossed over and in my fervor for Bukowski I ordered it. ... Read more

Product Description
.   This is a story about Henry Johnson, an American worker, a letter carrier.

   He did his job and did it well, only to find that that wasn't good enough.  In addition to rain, sleet and snow, he had to contend with bosses who were unqualified, undignified and unscrupulous.

   What Henry discovered in the course of a long career was that bad managers were not few and far between.  They were everywhere. 

   Nearing the end of his career, Henry found himself contending on a daily basis with two individuals more concerned with keeping their authority--and willing to abuse their authority--if that's what it took to keep it.  They didn't mind hurting employees and they didn't mind hurting the company.  After putting up with their ridicule, harassment, and tedious interference for longer than he should have, Henry decided to take a stand.

   Sometimes Henry's behavior was funny, sometimes reckless, and oftentimes combatant.  He was always unpredictable.  His bosses didn't know what he would do next and sometimes Henry wasn't that sure either.  He didn't understand why some co-workers called him "Psycho" and at the same time he appreciated the advantage it gave him. 

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

love the humor!
I too am a huge fan of Bukowski's work, but I found this novel to be exactly what it is - a new spin on the modern postal service and the ins and outs of the workforce today.Very funny, love the dry sense of humor and the hilarious situations the postman encounters!

Funny and relatable
This book takes a humorous look at that great, seemingly unknowable, institution
that so many of us take for granted, and yet rely heavily upon-the postal service. The author takes you inside his world, and their world, and reveals the frustrations of a postal carrier, which is translatable to any thinking individual participating in the non-managerial American workforce. Instead of a woe-is-me tale, the author chooses a sarcastic, Dave Barryish tone that sets the
stage for the book. The language, though simple and without airs, reveals an intellect that is anything but. He pokes fun at the self-important supervisors, and points out the illogical and paradoxical ways of a large institution with subtlety and wit. If you are looking for a book that is smart,relatable, and funny, you have found it.

A book that speaks for us all
I read this novel, not in one sitting in the barber shop, but over a span of several days, allowing me to actually digest the humor, the frustration, and the unfortunate bureaucratic placating that takes place in all of our lives on a daily basis. I found the humor rich and sincere, an honest reflection of how each of us should, could, and would respond to the world around us were we not bound by necessary social norms. I think Bukowski, in all his literary glory, would have appreciated such a novel that further shines light on his own witty realizations.

I believe, Mullinax, that the Blockbuster world of explosive, easy endings has deprived us all of the necessary and refreshing subtlety that gives this novel life. However, in order to see true wit and subtlety, as used so deftly by Terrana, one must be more observant than a sack of potatoes.

Dull and derivative. Bukowski is still the master of the POST OFFICE!

What to say? I was rooting for the author, wanting him to give us a splendid and funny romp through the bureaucratic and often insane world of the POSTAL SERVICE.(Disclaimer: I'm a former employee of the Postal Service)

Alas, what we get is a derivative Bukowski-wannabe novel with a "surprise" ending that falls totally flat. Charles Bukowski wrote the funniest and truest book on the POST OFFICE and this item (POSTAL SERVICE)is best forgotten. Seems calculated to entertain hipsters and poseurs. Literary slummers, if you will.

The author should learn that his incessant irony is a poor replacement for literary merit.I read this book in a barbershop where someone had left it.

Remember folks, Charles Bukowski wrote the book on this one. ... Read more

Product Description
This book brings together experts in international relations and comparative politics in order to examine the sociopolitical and economic issues of individual socialist countries and to investigate specific issues cross-nationally. In addition to summarizing recent events that have affected the politics of the socialist community, the contributors speculate about possible future developments. Arguing that socialist states are beset by problems that their institutional structures are unable to handle, the contributors agree that virtually all of the states examined require some form of immediate reform if they are to prevail as legitimate and valuable systems of government. Following essays on the overall complexities of change in socialist states and detailed analyses of six Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union, the editors conclude with a valuable discussion of the dominant patterns that have appeared in the experiences of the socialist state system. ... Read more

Product Description
Broadside publicity piece formovie Barfly.Folded into four sections, contains b/w photos of cast members Mickey Roarke, Faye Dunaway and Bukowski, 2-page Bukowski interview. ... Read more

Product Description
Bukowski's alter ego, Henry Chinaski, returns, revelling in his eternal penchant for booze, women and horse-racing as he makes the precarious journey from poet to screenwriter. Based on Bukowski's experiences when working on the film Barfly, the absurdity and egotism of the film industry are laid bare in this deadpan, touching and funny glimpse into the endless negotiations and back-stabbings of La-la land. Hollywood is an irreverent roman - clef that serves up the beating heart of Hollywood with razor-sharp humour. ... Read more