Notes of a Dirty Old Man

Product Information

Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969) is a collection of underground newspaper columns written by Charles Bukowski for the Open City newspaper that were collated and published by Essex House in 1969. His short articles were marked by his trademark crude humor, as well as his attempts to present a "truthful" or objective viewpoint of various events in his life and his own subjective responses to those events. The series is currently published by City Lights Publishing Company but can also be found in Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook, which is a collection of some of Bukowski's rare and obscure works.

These disjointed stories gives us a glimpse into the brilliant and highly disturbed mind of a man who will drink anything, hump anything and say anything without the slightest tinge of embarassment, shame or remorse. It's actually pretty hard not to like the guy after reading a few of these semi-ranting short stories." —Greg Davidson, curiculummag.com I'm going to be photographing and listing a Charles Bukowski/ Stovepiper collection from '92/'93 soon. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The author Bukowski used to write the column "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" for the newspaper Open City (which I never heard of obviously)... One day, someone decided to tell him "hey why not compile them and publish them as a book"... I wish I can find that person so that I can ask him/her "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!”.He used language like a painter of souls. Words were blood from his heart. Liquid, burning prose. Rantings from the mind of a real loner. I understand that on a deep level. 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). Of course, that doesn't make any of his literal and figurative woman-bashing acceptable, but it's part of the entrance fee for reading this shit. I’ve seen too many intellectuals lately, I get very tired of the precious intellects who must speak diamonds every time they open their mouths. I get tired of battling for each space of air for the mind. That’s why I stayed away from people for so long and now that I am meeting people I find that I must return to my cave. There are other things beside the mind. There are insects and palm trees and pepper shakers and I’ll have a pepper shaker in my cave. So laugh.” I am really surprised it got high rating, with some saying that it's not for the "faint heart". I think you need to be drunk to read this shit.

an intellectual is a man who says a simple thing in a difficult way; an artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way Notes Of A Dirty Old Man is a compilation of columns and short stories that have been collected from Bukowski's early days when he was writing for Open City which was a free, leftist leaning magazine which had a politicalised agenda. Its main aim was to support and influence the non-conformist countercultures which were thriving throughout the 60's underground of America. Strokes To Nowhere - https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=5668&Title=notes-of-a-dirty-old-man It's A Dirty World - https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=5615&Title=notes-of-a-dirty-old-man There is plenty of booze and debauchery in this collection. There were a few surprises here too, both good and bad. One good surprise was a short piece about Bukowski meeting Neal Cassady shortly before he died. It is well written, interesting and I think he does a nice summation of Cassady at the end of his life. He says that "Kerouac has written your other chapters". One disappointing surprise was Bukowski's opinion of Burroughs - "Burroughs is a very dull writer". He truly thinks Celine is the bee's knees. I have read some Celine and think he is a pretty good writer but terribly pessimistic and misanthropic - sounds right up Buk's lane huh?Not Quite Bernadette - https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=5656&Title=notes-of-a-dirty-old-man The Death Of The Father I - https://bukowski.net/database/detail.php?w=5709&Title=notes-of-a-dirty-old-man This one stepped over the line a few times for me. It was very sexually aggressive and that really affected me on this read. You lose what little respect remains for the character of Bukowski and realise him finally as ineffectual and impotent in the face of the world. Obviously that has literary and educational merit... but what was gained felt a little hollow, because I didn’t believe it.