Hostage

by Charles Bukowski

Audio CD Recording. Recorded live at The Sweetwater in Redondo Beach in April, 1980. 66:00.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, Fiction

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Henry Charles Bukowski (born as Heinrich Karl Bukowski) was a German-born American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles.It is marked by an emphasis on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women and the drudgery of work. Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over sixty books

Charles Bukowski was the only child of an American soldier and a German mother. At the age of three, he came with his family to the United States and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles City College from 1939 to 1941, then left school and moved to New York City to become a writer. His lack of publishing success at this time caused him to give up writing in 1946 and spurred a ten-year stint of heavy drinking. After he developed a bleeding ulcer, he decided to take up writing again. He worked a wide range of jobs to support his writing, including dishwasher, truck driver and loader, mail carrier, guard, gas station attendant, stock boy, warehouse worker, shipping clerk, post office clerk, parking lot attendant, Red Cross orderly, and elevator operator. He also worked in a dog biscuit factory, a slaughterhouse, a cake and cookie factory, and he hung posters in New York City subways.

Bukowski published his first story when he was twenty-four and began writing poetry at the age of thirty-five. His first book of poetry was published in 1959; he went on to publish more than forty-five books of poetry and prose, including Pulp (1994), Screams from the Balcony (1993), and The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992).

He died of leukemia in San Pedro on March 9, 1994.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The CD that made me a Bukowski fan; more of a thread of ideas than a typical poetry reading, Bukowski invites you into the spiritual maze that he is seeking to escape - and asks you to walk with him for awhile. A great introduction to this wonderfully complex poet - give him a try and you just might find you like poetry.

[Arthur Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonight is going to be a very dignified reading....

— Charles Bukowski, live at Redondo Beach, 1980

[Ricardo Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great Bukowski live reading is something worth of hearing, hopefully he didn't throw up on stage.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bukowski drinking and reading at a bar to a live audience. Some good old Bukowski stuff here as well as some very mature, very beautiful stuff. The best part, though, is how an audience member yells "fuck you!" at him after having enough of the insults Bukowski had dropped on the audience throughout the performance - to which Bukowski responds, to paraphrase, "Thank you! It's about fucking time someone had some balls."

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a recording of Charles Bukowski giving one of his poetry readings to a crowd of what sound like annoyingly over-enthusiastic beatniks; they guffaw at the slightest mention of drugs, sex or swearwords, and seem to be trying to egg Charlie on to do something outrageous so that they can have an even better time of it, and get their full money's worth. He famously hated giving readings, and one can begin to understand why when one puts this CD on the deck.
Regardless, there are some really good moments on this CD, and it's a full 70 minutes long so the listener gets their money's worth as well, but the overall feeling is that he is biting his lip and just getting through the evening (his voice sounds like it's coming through gritted teeth at the best of times); he has some fine moments where he trades comments with some of the more well-oiled members of the audience, but sometimes he seems to want to be more serious than the stand-up comedian that they are intent upon turning him into.
Finally, a minor gripe - my copy was formatted as only one track; quite a pain if you want to listen to a particular piece rather than the whole thing; Why couldn't they have marked a few more of the poems down for easy reference?
So only three stars I'm afraid; this is the sound of a truly great writer being thrown to the dogs.

[Alkimeya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This made me feel sad. And a bit sick. Still kinda funny though

[Joe Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

great recording of a typical rowdy Bukowski reading.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have 3 copies of this on original edition vinyl.

[Brent Legault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though he sounds like an old woman who has undergone a double mastectomy, Bukowski's reading style is arresting. And halfway through, after he's good and drunk, he has it out with the audience, which is good for a laugh. And he spends a couple of minutes trumpeting John Fante, which is an admirable thing to do. And admirable is not an adjective that is often applied to Bukowski.

[Msstressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an audio cd of Chuck Bukowski giving a "reading" of his short stories, and so it's pretty much what you would expect from Bukowski -- drinking, heckling from the audience, belligerent rambling and abuse. In short, it is classic Bukowski.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

He steals a piece of my heart away every time <3

This was a gift from a very beautiful person with a wonderful and free spirit.

[Lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a zeitgeist of gutter Bukowski. Some of these poems had me fascinated while also making me loose appetite. He does an excellent job of exploring the base, and talks about the real when it comes to sex, and bodily functions.

Especially fascinating is his misogynistic yet realistic view of women's bodies. Bukowski objectifies and sexualises almost every women he meets / writes. However, he also knows the women's body - evidently intimate with matters, as he discusses with vulgar vernacular his experiences of sex.

In a way this reality of the world, of the body, of sex, is somewhat more welcome than the pedestal objectification that occurs to women in modern times. i.e: wear sexy lingerie for you, every womens body is a garden, etc etc. Rather Bukowski shows that women also have hairy parts.

[Jess]

This was just a no for me.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The depravity I needed to get me through the day.

[Scott Sheaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

R rated Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegone like but darker and less linier.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bukowski at Redondo Beach, live, drunk, funny, gross.