Bons baisers de la grosse barmaid : Poèmes d'extase et d'alcool

by Dan Fante

Né à Los Angeles en 1944, Dan Fante, fils de l'écrivain John Fante, est auteur de poèmes, de nouvelles, de pièces de théâtre et de romans. Il a connu vingt ans d'alcoolisme au cours desquels ses déboires, assortis de malentendus juridiques, lui valurent de fréquentes arrestations. Rédigés entre 2003 et 2008, les poèmes qui constituent ce recueil sont ceux de la lumière et de la sortie du tunnel.

Genres: Poetry

194 pages, Pocket Book

First published March 27, 2008

Reviews

[Stephen J. Golds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Fante was a better poet than prose writer if I’m being honest. Yes, the poems do read very similar to Bukowski but I think that’s down to the accessibility of Bukowski’s writing style more than anything else and there’s obviously the connection between Bukowski and Dan’s father.

Lot of great poems here published by the late great Sun Dog Press.
Recommended

[Ville Verkkapuro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Charles Bukowski. Always have been and always will, though I don't necessarily agree with everything he is and writes.
The thing is, I'm not a fan of everyone following in his footsteps.
When I was 9, my mom's boyfriend went to Greece and bought sandals that said Abidas and the slogan was "Just did it". This felt exactly the same.
This was embarrassing. Everything Bukowski seems to be, but everything he is not. Boasting about women and drinking etc.
Though I have to admit: I guess this was honest, though this was stupid. Or the writer was.
My brother is a fan, so I had to check it out.
Sorry – but no. I love you, brother, but I hate this clown.

[Hanna Abi Akl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. This book is the unraveling of the genius that is Dan Fante who - despite undertaking the daunting task of filling his father's shoes - steps out of his shadow and produces a unique literary masterpiece.

For lovers of John Fante, this book does not reproduce his style but rather starts off it and makes its own way into the literary world. Gripping, raw, honest and heart-throbbing, this is truly a masterpiece of a work that has not been given the credit it deserves.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked these poems—especially the one about Hubert Shelby Jr. Several poems about how much he loves his wife combined with poems about being a sober curmudgeon.

[Colin N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Kissed" is a collection of poetry in which Fante writes about his life - his love for his wife, the strangeness of finding some success as a writer, struggling with sobriety, the need to write. There is some nice sentiment here, and amusing wit, but overall I was a bit disappointed. I feel bad, writing the first review and having it be semi-negative, so to soften the blow I would first like to say that I really enjoyed all of Fante's books, short stories, and his previous collection of poetry, so don't let this review dissuade you from his writing. I guess what was missing for me here was some of the ferocity, the rawness of an exposed man struggling to survive, that exists in his other works. Perhaps to some degree that is a function of his finding a more stable lifestyle, so the subject matter is less crazy and funny and sad. But nevertheless great poems can be written about the everyday acts of living, and somehow many of these poems just did not get there for me. I thought much of the imagery and the ideas were repetitive (and the repeated love poems about his wife even a bit sappy!). That said there are some nice poems here, and it is a quick read.

Interesting too are the Bukowski parallels. Not only is the writing style very similar, but the topics of the poems are incredibly alike. Later-Bukowski poems cover the same territory as the poems contained in this collection. It is fascinating that their lives should mirror each other so. Anyway I digress.

A decent read.

[Elle LaMarca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really 2.5 stars, but I decided to round up solely because it's Dan Fante.

I'm terribly sad. I really thought this was going to be something--something amazing, something real, something Fante. While I did come across a few moments of genius, for the most part it was...not good. There were too many cliche zingers at the end of poems...poems that ended in much the same way by
only
putting
one
word
on
each
line
for
absolutely
no
reason
except
that
the last
20
poems
also
ended
that
way.

It grew tiresome. Again, I'm sad.

[Kyle Murway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Fante, he deserves merit, regardless of the literary form. However, much like other reviews, I was a little disappointed. I think that struggles with sobriety should be told in short stories and novels. Sometimes the poems seemed to be repetitive because of the common themes. I did enjoy the references to love and relationships, the desire to always produce art, and raw terminology. Great stuff, but I left disappointed.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's the link to my review:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

And here's another, to my interview with Dan:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

[andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

poems really aren't my thing but fante does well.