Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems, 1974-1977
by Charles Bukowski
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An Almost Made Up Poem
I see you drinking at a fountain with tiny
blue hands, no, your hands are not tiny
they are small, and the fountain is in France
where you wrote me that last letter and
I answered and never heard from you again.
you used to write insane poems about
ANGELS AND GOD, all in upper case, and you
knew famous artists and most of them
were your lovers, and I wrote back, it’ all right,
go ahead, enter their lives, I’ not jealous
because we’ never met. we got cl...more
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One of my favorite compilations of one of my favorite poets. Want more of a review? Too bad, I won't review Bukowski, only encourage you to read him. But I'll leave you with a good example.
alone with everybody
the flesh covers the bone
and they put a mind
in there and
sometimes a soul,
and the women break
vases against the walls
and the men drink too
much
and nobody finds the
one
but they keep
looking
crawling in and out
of beds.
flesh covers
the bone and the
fle...more
alone with everybody
the flesh covers the bone
and they put a mind
in there and
sometimes a soul,
and the women break
vases against the walls
and the men drink too
much
and nobody finds the
one
but they keep
looking
crawling in and out
of beds.
flesh covers
the bone and the
fle...more
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Read in September, 1987
Bukowski has so many books of poetry that it almost staggers the imagination; if one were to rank them in over-all quality, i would have to say this is in his top five. But with Bukowski that is really leaving out a lot of books; he has over forty just of poetry alone! But getting back to the book at hand, this is definitely one of his best. Written as his early to mid 70's underground cult hero/legend status was firmly rising to a peak, this collection shows him to be as much the sensitive suff...more
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Read in January, 1997
First i'll say that I'm not poetry's biggest fan. Intellectually I can sometimes see what the writer is getting, but emotionally I'm usually lost. I'm not defending or arguing my position, just putting it out there.
Having said all that Bukowski actually makes me feel him. I don't know if its the language, or the way its put together, but his imagery just hits me right in the middle of my heart. His way of making the most mundane things seem powerful is amazing. Love is a Dog From Hell,...more
Having said all that Bukowski actually makes me feel him. I don't know if its the language, or the way its put together, but his imagery just hits me right in the middle of my heart. His way of making the most mundane things seem powerful is amazing. Love is a Dog From Hell,...more
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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
people who love words
My friend Butch gave me my copy of this book. I am a Bukowski fan since about 1997, but this is the first book of his that I have owned.
I feel a real tension about liking Bukowski's work. On the one hand, he is a wordsmith, putting words together in ways that are lovely and exciting and unique. The man could write poetry. I also appreciate the fact that he was a working class working man for many years of his life. However, so many of his poems are misogynistic. He seems to think that a...more
I feel a real tension about liking Bukowski's work. On the one hand, he is a wordsmith, putting words together in ways that are lovely and exciting and unique. The man could write poetry. I also appreciate the fact that he was a working class working man for many years of his life. However, so many of his poems are misogynistic. He seems to think that a...more
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Read in September, 2001
recommends it for:
everyone
This is the first thing by Bukowski that I read, so naturally it's still my favorite. (in the spirit of full-disclosure, there's also a chapter almost entirely devoted to redheads that I am somewhat biased towards.)
I rarely take a book of poetry and sit down and read it front to back, but that's exactly what I did with this. These poems of mishaps with women are as complete as any short story, each page building upon this complex and alluring figure that is Charles Bukowski. yes, it's a lot ...more
I rarely take a book of poetry and sit down and read it front to back, but that's exactly what I did with this. These poems of mishaps with women are as complete as any short story, each page building upon this complex and alluring figure that is Charles Bukowski. yes, it's a lot ...more
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I have to qualify my review - there was a time when I would have given this book 4 or maybe 5 stars. I had a productive, creative stage in my life when I read a lot of Bukowski's work, thought deeply about the nature of relationships, addiction, art, and so on. However, one day, when I was reading a poem from this very book, I said to myself, "I am not as depressed as this guy. Thank God." And, from then on, although I still get his poems and feel their meaning, Bukowski doesn't do...more
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recommended to Faith-Anne by:
Dr. B
Bukowski is one of those poets you can show to people who swear up & down that poetry is all rhyming & flowers. Even if you hate Bukowski, you must admit that he's an original. I love Bukowski. His poems are a perfect break from the 'real' world. They're brutally honest & lovely in their grotesqueness. This collection is wonderful. Sure it isn't for the faint of heart, but Bukowski really does prove that poetry comes in all shapes & sizes.
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Read in April, 2008
Kidult Grandpa Makes "It" Big
These are Hank's mid-1970s poems, written when he was still pounding beers and wine (at age 55!) and getting laid fairly regularly (partly because his phone number was listed in the phone book, as he underscores in at least two poems here). Most of the poems seem more like dirty stand-up routines than literary works, but then again, smut and drollery have a long tradition in English verse. Good for a laugh, but probably a bad influence on aspiring poets
These are Hank's mid-1970s poems, written when he was still pounding beers and wine (at age 55!) and getting laid fairly regularly (partly because his phone number was listed in the phone book, as he underscores in at least two poems here). Most of the poems seem more like dirty stand-up routines than literary works, but then again, smut and drollery have a long tradition in English verse. Good for a laugh, but probably a bad influence on aspiring poets
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کتاب بدی نیست. دو سال پیش بخاطر شخصیت راحتی که بوکفسکی داشت از این کتاب و کتاب های دیگه صد قطعه رو ترجمه کردم که الان هفتاد قطعه اش قراره به بازار بیاد. نشر ماه ریز انتشار این کتاب رو قبول کرده. الان که هشت ماهه کتاب داره خاک میخوره
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I'm not a Bukowski fan.
It's like he's
writing some run
on sentence as his
booze soaked mind wanders
and makes observations,
sometimes
but not always throwing
in a punctuation mark or two,
about not much of anything
that I care about
not
to mention some really
crude rude fucking
shit
Pardon the profanity, but I figure anyone who reads bukowski
won't mind.
It's like he's
writing some run
on sentence as his
booze soaked mind wanders
and makes observations,
sometimes
but not always throwing
in a punctuation mark or two,
about not much of anything
that I care about
not
to mention some really
crude rude fucking
shit
Pardon the profanity, but I figure anyone who reads bukowski
won't mind.
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2 comments
Read in February, 1998
recommends it for:
Fans of a good potty-mouth
I just happened on this one in a bookstore and sat down to read a bit. Whoa! As a junior in high school I was just getting into literature that was off the beaten path, and this just about blew my mind. I ended up writing my junior year literary analysis paper on his prose. It was called "Banality and Booze: Charles Bukowski Doesn't Like You." I was lucky to find him.
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Read in May, 2007
Bukowski's poetry is great because it has everything that good poetry should have, but more importantly, none of the things it shouldn't have. He is my favorite poet because the subject matter is relevant to me. His poems are often deep and touching, but he never wanted to be lofty or pretentious. This is my favorite collection of his poems so far.
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Read in January, 1997
recommends it for:
poetry fans, beat fans
I picked up this book on a whim because the title fit my mood, and I'd heard good things about Bukowski from a couple of my "cool" friends. I've never regretted buying it. Aside from the vivid writing, it's been a personal help to me through various failed romances, arguments and wonderful times. He's a drunken, perverted genius. I love him!
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recommends it for:
anyone with a hangover.
I am never sure whether Bukowski's poems are really poetry proper or whether they are personal essays with really short margins. This is not a criticism--I enjoyed this book very much. I think that anybody who thinks that they don't like poetry should give this book a gander. It might change your mind about what "poetry" is supposed to be.
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I'm not going to be cliche and pretend that I love everything Bukowski did. I'm not that cool. But my mom gave me this book for my 18th birthday and it suited my teenage nihilism so much that it became my back pocket manifesto so to speak. I wore Bukowski on my sleeve at that age. I also drank a lot of shitty beer in cans.
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Read in October, 2004
recommends it for:
the angsty, heartbroken, immature, literate and drunk
Bukowski is great when read in New Orleans following a break up. There's more to it than the crass and drunk though. Every now and then, he'll slip in a line so sparse and beautiful that I have to read it over and over again. I think the juxtaposition is key. I think Charles knew that.
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Read in January, 2000
Like all poetry, you dig to find the gold. Two poems here stand out for me. One is about a cockroach, the other is titled by his phone number. The first is hopeful while the second is a glimpse into the reality of becoming famous. The two are worth the price of the whole book.
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Read in November, 2007
recommended to Arlene by:
Read for a discussion group
I feel much as Chantel and some others do. I recently read some but not all of "Love is a Dog from Hell." Much of it felt like anecdotes told by someone in a bar who's midway between boasting and complaining. And hopes you'll go home with him. But sometimes he hits it.
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recommends it for:
anyone who has won or lost at love
Bukowski had me hooked from the day I read this book title in a used book store and choked with laughter. Ragged, uneven, boozy truths, rough edges, prurient delight. Ah, yes, love is a dog from hell. Sometimes you get a pit bull, sometimes a tail-wagging lab. Life!
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.11 (1170 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.11 (1162 ratings) number of reviews: 79popular shelves
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quote
"you boys can keep your virgins
give me hot old women in high heels
with asses that forgot to get old. "
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