Women

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Yesenia Charles Bukowski wrote this to a friend, in a letter:

"[D]on’t wait for the good woman. She doesn’t exist. There are women who can make you feel more w…more
Charles Bukowski wrote this to a friend, in a letter:

"[D]on’t wait for the good woman. She doesn’t exist. There are women who can make you feel more with their bodies and their souls but these are the exact women who will turn the knife into you right in front of the crowd. Of course, I expect this, but the knife still cuts. The female loves to play man against man, and if she is in a position to do it there is not one who will not resist. The male, for all his bravado and exploration, is the loyal one, the one who generally feels love. The female is skilled at betrayal. and torture and damnation. Never envy a man his lady. Behind it all lays a living hell."

If he had said this about blacks versus whites (that black people are all bad, that only white people are loyal), IN THE 197OS, nobody would expect readers to feel empathy or tolerance. Female readers are expected to somehow divorce an author's hatred of them, as females, from the "greatness" of his writing. I think that that is an unfair expectation for any book written after the 1940s in "Western" countries.(less)
Mark Bau Brutally honest writing isn't everyones cup of tea but that's the attraction of Bukowski for me. I tend to get tired of cute, clever, safe writers. Re…moreBrutally honest writing isn't everyones cup of tea but that's the attraction of Bukowski for me. I tend to get tired of cute, clever, safe writers. Reading Bukowski is like him pissing on you while he's telling you a really great story.(less)
vee This was my first Bukowski novel and although I think it may have been better to have gotten accustomed to his style prior, I didn't need the other tw…moreThis was my first Bukowski novel and although I think it may have been better to have gotten accustomed to his style prior, I didn't need the other two novels narratively to understand what was going on. (less)

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