Biography
Henry Charles Bukowski (born August 16, 1920) is a prolific author, short story writer, and artist. He is a hero who has achieved cult status by expressing his experiences, emotions, and creativity on paper.
Unlike his contemporaries, Charles Bukowski was a character of what he wrote. Through his works, he did not try to make himself appear chivalrous and, in retrospect, he looked at American urban life, the expression of writing, his obsession with alcohol, his relationships with women, etc.
During his lifetime, he composed a number of sonnets, short stories and books, eventually publishing over sixty. For his extraordinary contribution to the American arts, he was awarded the title ‘America’s Lowlife Laureate’ by Time magazine.
Yet, strangely enough, Charles Bukowski was engaged in a successful artistic career at the beginning; he neglected to establish a relationship and, in retrospect, succumbed to a 10-year-long binge.
Charles Bukowski wrote many works, all of which feature Henry Chinaski, a mythical character based on him. He wrote so many works in his lifetime that even 10 years after his death, his unique works are still being distributed.
German-American poet
Charles Bukowski |
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 Charles Bukowski: History, Biography, Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Full name: | Heinrich Karl Bukowski |
| Stage name: | Charles Bukowski |
| Born: | August 16, 1920 (age 73) |
| Place of birth: | Andernach, Germany |
| Deceased: | March 9, 1994, San Pedro Peninsula Hospital |
| Nationality: | Germany, America |
| Height: | 1.83 meters |
| Parents: | Heinrich Henry Bukowski, Katharina Bukowski |
| Siblings: | Do not have |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Linda Lee Beighle (married 1985–1994), Barbara Bukowski (married 1957–1959) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | FranceEyE |
| The children: | Marina Louise Bukowski |
| Job: | Poet |
| Net worth: | 4 million US dollars |
Early life and education
Charles Bukowski was born and brought into the world as Heinrich Karl Bukowski to Heinrich Henry Bukowski and Katharina Bukowski on August 16, 1920, in Andernach, Germany. They eventually moved to South Central Los Angeles.
His early memories of youth were horrific, due to the cruel and oppressive treatment of his father, the insults of the neighborhood youths, and the Great Depression. Accordingly, he grew up humble and socially isolated.
Young Charles Bukowski was introduced to alcohol at an early age through his trusted companion William ‘Baldy’ Mullinax, and became a lifelong alcoholic.
He completed his basic education at Los Angeles High School and then enrolled at Los Angeles City College to focus on his craft, reporting, and writing. He dropped out after two years and, after some reflection, sought a career in blue-collar work in New York.
Career
Charles Bukowski’s adventure with writing began shortly after he left school, his first work being a short story called ‘The Result of a Long Rejection’. The story was published in Story magazine in 1944.
In 1946, his second short story, ’20 Tanks from Kasseldown’, was published by Black Sun Press. Having achieved little success with his printed works, he chose to abandon his artistic goals.
Disheartened by his initial hard copy disappointment, Charles Bukowski embarked on a ten-year personal journey, punctuated by excessive drinking and traveling. These ten years set the stage for his later semi-autobiographical works.
In 1952, he took a temporary job as a postal clerk at the United States Postal Service in Los Angeles. He left a little over three years earlier.
Life gave Charles Bukowski a second chance in 1955 after he recovered from a deadly bleeding ulcer that nearly killed him. After his near-death experience, he began his abstract career, writing poetry.
Like his contemporaries, he began writing professionally for underground newspapers and magazines. He soon achieved cult status for his poems and short stories, mostly semi-personal, revolving around the life of a poor essayist, Henry Chinaski.
In 1959, he wrote his first collection of poems, ‘Blossom, Fist and Bestial Wail’. The book was highly acclaimed for its wonderful depiction of the feeling of destruction and abandonment through the empty lands. In the same year, he wrote his most popular essay, ‘Pronouncement: A Call for Own Critics’.
In 1960, he resumed his duties as a mail clerk at the Los Angeles post office, where he worked for nearly 10 years. During this time, he wrote much of the suffering and desolation of his early life into a series of sonnets and short stories.
In 1963, he came up with a collection of poems, ‘It Catches my Heart in Its Hands’. Written between 1955 and 1963, each sonnet in the book is unparalleled in content and beautifully put together. Then in 1965, his other work, ‘Cross in a Deathbed’ was released.
He compiled the column ‘Notes of a Dirty Old Man’ for the underground newspaper Open City in Los Angeles around 1967. Strangely enough, despite Open City’s conclusion, the column was still carried, finding a place in another underground newspaper, the Los Angeles Free Press, and the NOLA Express in New Orleans.
In 1969, he teamed up with Neeli Cherkovski to submit their short lithographic summary magazine, ‘Giggle Literary and Man the Humping Guns’. They produced 3 issues over the next 2 years.
In 1969, he accepted an offer from Black Sparrow Press to become a full-time writer, prompting him to quit his mail-centre job. Just a month later, he completed his semi-personal debut novel, ‘Mailing Station’.
Beginning in the 1970s, Charles Bukowski’s artistic career blossomed as he produced numerous works, both poetry and fiction, which were distributed by small publishers for free.
Part of his works published in the 1970s included books such as ‘Jack of all trades’ and ‘Ladies’, poems, ‘Mockingbird Wish Me Luck’, ‘Consuming in Water, Drowning in Flame’, ‘Red’, ‘Perhaps Tomorrow’, etc. He also came up with his first collection of short stories called ‘Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness.
The 1980s saw Charles Bukowski venture into screenwriting for the film ‘Regular at the pub’, released in 1984. This semi-personal film revolves around three days in the life of Charles Bukowski when he was 24 years old.
Like his other works, the film features a self-image change in the character Henry Chinaski as the hero. His involvement in the making of ‘Regular at the Pub’ set the stage for his next novel, ‘Hollywood’.
Before his death, he completed his final novel, ‘Mash’. Similar to his final collection of poems distributed during his lifetime, ‘The Last Night of the Earth Poems’, ‘Mash’ dealt with the theme of death wrapped in scathing humor.
Personal life
In 1955, Charles Bukowski married Barbara Frye, a modest community writer in Texas. The marriage ended in separation in 1958. His relationship with Frye produced a daughter, Marina Louise Bukowski.
He is also married to Linda Lee Beighle.
Net worth
Charles Bukowski had a net worth of US$4 million before his death.
