:: stamford research

I love Charles Bukowski. To sum it all up I love Bukowski because his work is the only stuff I've ever read that I could not put down. He also taught me how to write. Yes, Bukowski was a bum, an alcoholic, a derelict father, was always getting into to trouble and couldn't hold down a job, but boy, I can't put down one of his books once I've cracked it open. He really tells you interesting stories and gives you moral anecdotes with simple language that flows, and you only have to read through it once to get his meaning. Yes, his life and times were drenched in booze, cigarettes, and bad women he usually met in bars, but here was a man that knew how to tell you how wonderful life can be if all you have at the end of the day is a friend and a pot of homemade beef stew.

For anyone daring to give Bukowski a try, with the warning that no matter how much you might despise him you'll still fall in love with him, I recommend starting with one of two books. The first starts with his childhood and the second just tells about a number of women he's had in his life.