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Ham on Rye[HAM ON RYE][Paperback]
Ham on Rye follows the path of Bukowski alter-ego Henry Chinaski through his childhood and acne-riddled high school years, and later while he drinks his way through the Depression. Ham on Rye recounts both the comical and tragic events of Bukowski’s youth and provides a nostalgic view of an inner-city Los Angeles that has long since vanished.
Paperback
Published July 31, 2014
About the author
Charles Bukowski
863 books30.3k followersHenry 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 20, 2026
After reading the collection of bukowskis poetry, and relating hard - to a lot of it; I was itching to check out more of his works. And happily stumbled on this.
It’s the first instalment in his chinaski trilogy. A series of books loosely based around bukowskis life, and centring around his alter ego, Henry chinaski.
This one focuses on his childhood and upbringing. His family’s emigration from Germany to the US; growing up in a lower income household during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and coming of age in the post WW2 era.
I gotta say though, I really like his writing style. And HOW the story is told, and all that. But the story itself, I couldn’t get on board with.
It depressed the shit out of me.
Not because of the fact that, yes, the life he was describing - was actually depressing, and rife with hardship. (Which it was. With an angry, abusive, alcoholic in the house, He was doomed from day 1.)
But because, so much of what he was describing- just sounded like my own life. (Aside from the physical abuse. Thankfully I never got that).
But like, growing up borderline poor, having a short temper, getting pegged as a shit disturber, stuff with girls, etc. all of that rang too true for my liking.
I got to a certain point in the book where I finally had to just close it. It just felt like, “Ok, I get the point. Enough of that. I lived that. I don’t need to hear this guys version of it; trying to goad me into feeling for him.”
Still though, I really want to check out ‘Post office’. The next instalment. And see what he has to say about working shitty, go-nowhere, jobs. I feel like I’d enjoy that one way more.
This was ok. Idk if I’d recommend it. 3/5 toughkids
💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
It’s the first instalment in his chinaski trilogy. A series of books loosely based around bukowskis life, and centring around his alter ego, Henry chinaski.
This one focuses on his childhood and upbringing. His family’s emigration from Germany to the US; growing up in a lower income household during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and coming of age in the post WW2 era.
I gotta say though, I really like his writing style. And HOW the story is told, and all that. But the story itself, I couldn’t get on board with.
It depressed the shit out of me.
Not because of the fact that, yes, the life he was describing - was actually depressing, and rife with hardship. (Which it was. With an angry, abusive, alcoholic in the house, He was doomed from day 1.)
But because, so much of what he was describing- just sounded like my own life. (Aside from the physical abuse. Thankfully I never got that).
But like, growing up borderline poor, having a short temper, getting pegged as a shit disturber, stuff with girls, etc. all of that rang too true for my liking.
I got to a certain point in the book where I finally had to just close it. It just felt like, “Ok, I get the point. Enough of that. I lived that. I don’t need to hear this guys version of it; trying to goad me into feeling for him.”
Still though, I really want to check out ‘Post office’. The next instalment. And see what he has to say about working shitty, go-nowhere, jobs. I feel like I’d enjoy that one way more.
This was ok. Idk if I’d recommend it. 3/5 toughkids
💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
September 26, 2024
Incredible. Depressing. Caused me to drink copious amounts of red wine. 10/10 would read again.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews