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Shakespeare non l'ha mai fatto

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Scritto nel 1979, "Shakespeare non l'ha mai fatto" è il resoconto del viaggio che lo scrittore e la sua compagna Linda Lee intraprendono in Europa. Rivediamo Parigi e Nizza con gli occhi di Bukowski, gonfi per il poco sonno e frequentemente di malumore per le continue sbronze, ma soprattutto la provincia tedesca che gli aveva dato i natali. Non certo nelle loro caratteristiche geografiche bensì in quelle umane: gli amici artisti, i parenti di Linda, il vecchio zio tedesco e l'accoglienza di un pubblico che ama i suoi scritti nonostante l'autore continui a eccedere in comportamenti fuori dalla norma, persino scorbutici. Un diario di viaggio, dunque, ma soprattutto una serie di aneddoti, di storie di vita, in cui il grande scrittore continua a sorprenderci con le sue genuine quanto maledette rivelazioni sul senso dell'esistenza, la morte e l'amicizia. Il viaggio si srotola tra reading, presentazioni televisive e cene nel corso delle quali Bukowski non fa proprio nulla per conquistare il suo pubblico. Ma in questo sta la sua forza e originalità: presentarsi al mondo semplicemente per quello che è, senza nascondere le proprie umane debolezze, scrivendo alla fine un inedito viaggio sentimentale, composto di poesie e appunti di vita vera.

121 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

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1612 people want to read

About the author

Charles Bukowski

854 books29.9k followers
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.

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5 stars
559 (22%)
4 stars
877 (35%)
3 stars
738 (30%)
2 stars
228 (9%)
1 star
49 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
Profile Image for Carlos.
787 reviews28 followers
November 18, 2013
oh, Bukowski, you magnificent son of a bitch...
Profile Image for Vanessa Largie.
Author 11 books48 followers
August 23, 2018
I have been feasting on Buk's writings for over two decades. I wouldn't dream of giving him less than 5 stars for any book.

Last Saturday, I opened 'Shakespeare Never Did This (for the first time in a decade) and read it again -- just finished it tonight.

He's so funny. And if you're a non-french speaking person who has had trouble with communication when travelling in Paris...

You'll love this book!

Biggest gem in my opinion:

"Life was unabearable, its just that most people had been taught to pretend that it wasn't."
Profile Image for Nad Gandia.
173 reviews67 followers
July 15, 2021
`Dios me habría ayudado en medio de tanta porquería y terror y dolor y horror, todo habría sido más fácil y quizás incluso más lógico, me habría ayudado a entender, porque yo no era un hombre que pensara yo me movía por lo que sentía y mis sentimientos se dirigían a los lisiados, a los torturados, a los condenados y a los perdidos. No por compasión, sino por camarería, porque yo era uno de ellos, perdido, confuso, indecente, miserable, miedoso y cobarde; injusto y amistoso solo a ráfagas, y aunque estuviera jodido, sabía que eso no me ayudaba, no me curaba, solo reafirmaba mis sentimientos.´

Se nota que es una crónica casi hecha a la fuerza por encargo e la editorial, a pesar de ello, tiene mucha de la esencia del escritor.
Ya se sabe de Bukowski, un desafío a la vida de forma constante, un desafío contra todo pronóstico que ni siquiera él esperaba, pero que si supo de ella al final.
El camino de los perdedores, el camino del desafío a la vida, el camino al fin y al cabo. Como muchos de estos personajes de Bukowski en el que nos hemos encontrado en nuestras propias vidas, algo así como estar perdido, de forma consciente.
Siempre da para la reflexión el maldito Charles.
Profile Image for Matt.
146 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2015
Bukowski, you miserable, awesome old man. *high five*

This can be read within 2-3 bottles of wine, just how Charles would have wanted.
Profile Image for Meseceva.
51 reviews20 followers
January 14, 2017
Mamurni zapisi starog šmekera sa putovanja po Evropi, začinjeni gomilom fotografija. Nema ovde neke velike priče, jednostavno Bukovskog volite ili ne podnosite.
Profile Image for Lee Taylor.
353 reviews7 followers
September 20, 2018
My quest to read every word ever written by Bukowski continues. Whether his brilliance is effortless or crafted to appear so, I still have no idea.
Profile Image for Ruth A secas.
294 reviews33 followers
August 4, 2015
Jodidamente increíble Bukowski como siempre!! Te echaba taanto de menos que he disfrutado el doble leyéndote.
Profile Image for Anita Perovska.
37 reviews4 followers
June 7, 2025
Авангардноста во пишувањето на Буковски е пар екселанс за рушење на стереотипите и нормите наметнати од општеството, кое никогаш не успеа да ја надмине статус кво положбата. Неговата контраверзност била неприфатлива за времето во кое живеел и творел, меѓутоа неспорно бил многу повеќе актуелен тогаш, отколку денес кога транспарентноста е можеби главно системско правило.

Без влакна на јазикот го опишува неговиот престој во Европа заедно со Линда Ли, исполнет со многу алкохол и турбулентни настапи. Нескротливиот карактер на Буковски е присутен во секоја негова реченица, нема тука наметнување или флерт, исклучиво физичко и телесно соголување на сите негови демони. Токму тие демони се неговиот авторски белег, а благодарение на ексцентричната фигура котира високо помеѓу читателите со префинет вкус.

Затоа делата на Буковски најлесно можат да се пренесат колоквијално, без никаква потреба од претерана формалност и совршен вокабулар. Или пак сложени реченици.

✍️ Повеќето луѓе бараат само три чесни оброка и малку секс, а во најголемиот дел од светот, човек, човекот го лишува од тие основни желби.
Profile Image for Jenna.
30 reviews2 followers
August 23, 2018
Bukowski's travelogue from when he went back to Germany. Real-life depiction of the fabulous asshole he was.
Profile Image for José.
400 reviews39 followers
February 14, 2020
Un diario de viaje regado con mucho vino y lenguaje soez del bueno.
Profile Image for Sarah Booth.
408 reviews45 followers
May 1, 2019
I’ve always like reading Bukowski. He’s got a raw bitter honesty that is very enlightening of the human condition, though it’s fairly bleak. Bukowski would never be accused of being an altruist, but he does have some few moments here and there (he likes cats after all), but he focuses mostly on human folly including his own.
Profile Image for Natalie.
447 reviews
March 6, 2017
Bukowski putuje u Europu. Otvara si petu bocu vina i kaže:"Sanjam kako postajem slavan"....
Počinje priču o svom pijanom skandalu na francuskoj televiziji i nebuloznim izletom po Azurnoj obali...
Profile Image for Matt Long.
Author 3 books6 followers
March 6, 2017
Bukowski off American soil is a treat to behold for any longtime fan. His soul is left to explore new lands, and after years of hardship, he sounds contented with his situation and happy with his partner, Linda Lee. A great read, concise, direct, passionate, unpretentious, and real.
Profile Image for Cesar Cruz.
245 reviews
January 27, 2025
Un trago de vino. Un trago de cerveza. Algo de whisky con agua. Lo suficiente para olvidar la clorpromazina. Hay autores que tienen un "sabor" particular, un estilo propio. Es como abrir la bebida de tu preferencia: sabes lo que recibirá tu paladar. Parafraseando a Umberto Eco, a veces necesito medicina Bukowski y la encuentro a la mano en mi librero para esos momentos en que el alma la pide.

Shakespeare nunca lo hizo, de Charles Bukowski, es una crónica de la gira que hizo por Europa el creador de Henry Chinaski. Bukowski conoció la fama en Europa antes que en los Estados Unidos y fue por su poesía, no por sus novelas. La gira es para ofrecer recitales de su poesía y hacer promoción en televisión, así como documentar la ocasión. El libro es una muestra más de la habilidad de Bukowski de llevar a las letras los momentos más cotidianos.

Me costó un poco el arranque, no le veía mucho caso a leer una especie de diario de viaje novelado. Sin embargo, con el pasar de las páginas encontré el humor ácido y las reflexiones del autor sobre temas varios como el arte y el artista y su "legado", las diferentes audiencias que ha enfrentado; y no pueden faltar las risas por los malentendidos y situaciones cotidianas, sí, pero a las que Bukowski describe desde la sátira.

Para quien ha leído al viejo indecente, este libro no será nada nuevo. Pero, eso sí, será la dosis, pequeña, de Bukowski a la que un lector puede recurrir en caso de andar bajo de realismo sucio en su sistema.
Profile Image for Mila.
7 reviews
January 23, 2024
ne morate čitati bukowskog, dovoljno je da u petak naveče odete do vašeg najbližeg mog marketa ili pekare klas, tamo ćete naći pijanduru koja će vam se unijeti u lice sa svojim neprijatnim zadahom, nešto razglabati zapletenim jezikom i još vas pritom opljačkati.

vjerujte mi da vrijedi više nego šta god je ovo.
Profile Image for Nikola Momčilović.
8 reviews
May 16, 2020
"Ako žena hoće da proda svoje telo, to možda nije bitno drukčije od violiniste koji na bini izvodi svoj koncert - borba da preživiš kako god znaš, smrt će svejedno doći, ali je bolje obmanuti je da pričeka malo."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Brent Legault.
753 reviews145 followers
March 14, 2008
Is it too easy to respond to this title by saying, "Shakespeare was too busy writing masterpieces to do whatever it is you think, or thought, you were doing?" Sure, it's not as punchy as Bukowski's title but at least it has the honor of being a whole, rather than a half, truth.
Profile Image for David Perez.
55 reviews1 follower
December 8, 2018
I had never read any Bukowski before, and I must admit his prose, narrative style, and personality is quite enjoyable.
Now I don’t understand why a such misogynistic, alcoholic, egotistical prick has the amount of dickriders that he does, but it was a good read nonetheless.
Profile Image for Damjan.
5 reviews
January 27, 2016
'Smrt mi nije mnogo značila.Ona je poslednja šala u seriji loših šala.'
Profile Image for Daria Tyuneva.
198 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2019
What an absolute gem. Hank is on point, as always. So funny and tender. LOVE the photos <3
Profile Image for Luis.
155 reviews3 followers
December 2, 2023
Completando lo que comentaba en _Erecciones_ sobre saber uno con qué encontrarse con Bukowski:

“How can a man a who is interested in almost nothing write about anything? Well, I do. I write about what’s left over: a stray dog walking down the street, a wife murdering her husband, the thoughts and feelings of a rapist as he bites into a hamburger sandwich; life in the factory, life in the streets and rooms of the poor and mutilated and the insane, crap like that, I write a lot of crap like that…”

En esta oportunidad recuenta el viaje a Alemania a publicitar sus libros: una entrevista en un programa de televisión que se va a la Mier, una visita al hipódromo en el que apuesta sin criterio, a la pura suerte, por falta de información, un recital en Hamburgo que parece ser un hit, una visita a su pueblo de origen, Andernach, en el que visita a un tío que, mucho mayor, parece estar en mejor condición física que él, el recorrido de lugares de interés, todo rodeado, por supuesto, de licor y vino porque de qué otra forma, y el deseo de volver a Hollywood a su decadente zona de confort.
Profile Image for Peycho Kanev.
Author 25 books320 followers
April 11, 2021
The flight back wasn’t particularly impressive. I’d been asked to write a book about the trip, and I’d said “Yes,” and for a man who disliked travel, that was one hell of an assignment. I remembered the time Norman Mailer had written about Man’s landing on the moon, for Life magazine, I think it was, and I remembered how sorry I had been for him and then I thought of the money he had been given to do it, and I thought well, he’s just getting the bacon and the rent, punching the old time clock. It was rumored he had gotten one million dollars to write that. I was luckier: I was writing without an advance and without promise of publication. I could fall flat on my ass and nobody at all would be hurt. That was the way it had always been with me: it kept the left jab crisp, and the overhand right on target …
Profile Image for Andrés Astudillo.
403 reviews6 followers
November 7, 2017
Me encantó leer esto. En realidad no lo tenía en mi listado, ya que fue una recomendación de mi librero. Este libro es una joya, ya que es narrativa, fotográfico y poético.
Narra la estadía de Buk en Europa, ya que como él dice "todo escritor norteamericano es conocido en Europa primero", estuvo en Francia y en Alemania. Fue algo distinto que he leído de Charles y primera vez que lo veo como una persona divertida. Esta narración es acompañada de fotografías en blanco y negro, lo cual le da un toque increíble a las vivencias narradas. El epílogo está constituido por poemas en prosa, estilo característico de Buk.
Profile Image for Shirin Salah Eddine .
25 reviews
December 6, 2023
It’s the first book I‘ve read from Bukowski and apparently it’s his most personal one. I also watched some interviews and read a few poems - and the first thing I will do tomorrow is buy some of his books. I’m very intrigued by his philosophy of life and especially his poems I find extremely touching. Surprisingly in some ways he really reminds me of Nietzsche.
About this book I loved the +-60 photographs of Bukowskis trip. However I guess it probably makes more sense to not choose this book as your first Bukowski book (even though to me it was an interesting way to learn about a new author by starting to read a very intimate insight in his life…).
Profile Image for Jason.
122 reviews9 followers
April 23, 2019
I can’t help but wonder how many bottles of wine and beer they drank on this trip through Europe. It was pretty interesting to read if you’re looking for a raw look into the life and journeys of Bukowski. There were some very funny moments in this book too. Don’t bother with it if you are looking for poetry though. This is purely Bukowski’s diary from this particular trip. Lots of great photos as well. Would have rated it at 3 stars, but the pictures earned it an extra star from me.
81 reviews
September 24, 2023
Paseo del excéntrico y cercano Bukowski por la Europa que lo vio nacer. Este relato y las fotos que la acompañan me han hecho ver el lado más humano de este escritor maldito y querer seguir devorando sus obras. El tío de Bukowski le dice que la única obra suya mala es la "Máquina de follar", esa será la siguiente que lea.
Profile Image for Fabián Segura.
60 reviews
March 17, 2025
Este es un libro para los megafans de Bukowski, es de esos textos que se reagrupan cuando quieren sacar algo nuevo de los escritores que ya han partido.
Me declaro megafans, por lo tanto, lo disfruté, en líneas generales habla de viajes entre fiestas, vino y locuras propias de Hank.
Termina con un par de poemas.

Holy shit Hank you did again!
Profile Image for Julius.
4 reviews
December 30, 2024
Reading this on the Train to Hamburg was a profound experience!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews

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