The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories

by Charles Bukowski

Revolving around themes of alcoholism, gambling, sex, and violence, this short story collection demonstrates Bukowski's compelling semi-autobiographical style and mastery of visceral language and depiction of seamy underworlds.

Bukowski's writings have addicted legions of American readers, even though the high literary establishment continues to ignore them. In Europe, however (particularly in Germany, Italy, and France, where he is published by the great publishing houses), Bukowski is critically recognized as one of America's greatest realist writers.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Poetry, Classics, Literature, American, The United States Of America

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

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

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s just wrong, so, so wrong. AND ME WUVS HIM
Every Bukowski I’ve read has been audible and the narrator is perfect! This one I listened to at my desk at work with my earbuds and my coworkers stared at me all night wondering what was so funny. I told them I’m sorry I cannot tell you. You’ll most likely call HR on me lolol he’s definitely not for everyone, his humor uses a different part of the brain to understand because he writes so seriously then BAM it hits you in the face so cynical about everyday things. I definitely recommend him for anyone who reads Hunter Thompson.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

He sure loves talking about his dick ahaha

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder why people love Charles Bukowski so much? Everyone loves this guy. Sean Penn. Bono. Madonna. Bollywood superstars adore him. They share his quotes on Instagram and other Indians like me who think they are the only people who have read and truly understand Bukowski go apeshit shitting on these superstars who stole our idol, who was the only thing we had to show off! Hahaha! You know you are a total dud in life when all you have to show off is the obscure writers you have read. I guess I will move on from Charles Bukowski to Charles Willeford now. Willeford is an elitist safe space for people like me. I know other Indians will never invade this space.

What Bukowski really gave us is a confirmation that most popular culture and popular grievances are simply bullshit. He was like the podcaster of the second half of the 20th century. He was like Bill Burr, Joe Rogan, Joey Diaz, Andrew Schulz and Bert Kreischer combined of the 60s and 70s. Even the French adored him. But he remains more provocative than any of them.

Bukowski was the guy who pointed out that drinking every day might actually be a more revolutionary act than getting involved in some cause, taking some side or supporting some T20 cricket team (yes, aimed at dumb rioting South Asian imbeciles).

[Sumedha Singh Sirohi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, there is something about Bukowski that speaks to me, that i can relate with. Maybe it is who i am; maybe i am a lot like him.
I'm not saying that i support the way he treats women or how he lived his whole life on booze and sex and women, and even made his characters such, but it's just something about the whole combination that appeals to me. Some part of it, for sure, is his crudity. He is ruthless, he is harsh, he is stubborn and insensitive. I am him. I am all those things and more. He is my deepest and darkest parts, thoughts. And they are happy when they read things that are similar to their being. I am happy when i read him.
I know many people often criticise him about his writing and thinking, but i love him for it. His writing resonates with those parts within you which you know are there, but you try to hide, try to ignore and dismiss, claiming that you are free of them, because they are wrong and dark and you, are pure.
But he speaks the truth.
He's slowly becoming one of my favourite authors.. Maybe it's because I'm just as insensitive and shallow minded as him.

[Rafal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gdy przeczytałem kiedyś "Kobiety" a potem inne części sagi Hanka Chinaskiego, myślałem, że proza Bukowskiego jest bardzo ostra. Niby jest, ale to co przeczytałem w tym tomie opowiadań jest dużo, dużo ostrzejsze. Nie będę podawał przykładów, ale myślę, że uzasadniona jest teza, że nie ma takiej rzeczy, której Bukowski by się brzydził. Wszystko jest ludzkie, wszystko zasługuje na to, żeby przyjrzeć się temu z bardzo, bardzo bliska i opisać. I muszę powiedzieć, że bardzo mi się to podoba. Nie jestem zauroczony, bo w gruncie rzeczy to trudna lektura i czasem bardzo bolesna ale bez wątpienia bardzo dobra. To są refleksje, obrazy, spostrzeżenia bardzo brutalne, brudne, śmierdzące. Ale w tle każdej z tych historii jest człowiek i to chyba najbardziej lubię w prozie Bukowskiego ogólnie, a w tym tomie szczególnie. To nie jest bezsensowne, czy beznamiętne epatowanie ludzkimi dramatami - to są historie o człowieku. I czasem to bardzo nieprzyjemne zobaczyć jacy jesteśmy.

Po drugim czytaniu: wszystko podtrzymuję. Świetnie skomponowany zbiór. Niektóre opowiadania wstrząsające. Czytanie tego czasem naprawdę boli.

[Leo Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title story is awesome. NONE of the rest are like it. The others are great but all like each other. Well, Bukowski makes no apologies for knowing what he knows and writing what he knows (horses and beer and sluts and sex and writing and publishing and shit jobs and bumming about and horses and beer and sex and writing and beer shits and hospital trips and everyone's horny all the goddamn time.) I imagine this sort of thing is a thrill to discover as a teenager: "Whoah! This is literature?!" Well... it is, but even if you're not prepared to combine all the horse betting stories and all the drinking stories and all the slutty stories, can't you at least do like a "Greatest hits"? What reader needs to be discerning enough in their reading of these stories to even be able to tell the difference between them? They are cheap thrills all- would have been way better if it was just the cheapest and the thrillingest :)

[نبال قندس]

ما كملته ومش قادرة أفهم شو بده يحكيلنا يعني؟

[Hizam · Rating 4 out of 5]

هذه قصص من نسج الخيال وكلّ حدث واقعي شبيه بأحداثها لم يخطر في بال الكاتب وهو يبدع الشخصيات المتورّطة وغير المتورطة بكلمات أخرى ،الذهن الخيال المواهب الإبداعية تداعت بحرية، وذلك يعني إبداعاً، يتأسس ويغتذي من حياة نصف قرن إلا عام بين ظهراني البشر. والقصص لا تنحصر في حدث واحد وحيد، أو أحداث معينة قصص من جرائد ولم يُكتب للمس، أو للوصم، أو للإجحاف بأحد البشر المتورّطين في ظروف شبيهة لتلك الظروف الواردة في هذه القصص القصيرة.

[Mohamed Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

تشارلز بوكوفسكي المجنون ينطلق في هذه المجموعه القصصيه ليعري قبح وعهر وفحش الإنسان في العصر الحديث. يتناول بوكوفسكي في ثلاثين قصه حكايات مختلفه بعضها علي لسانه شخصيآ وبعضها روايات عن آخرون وتشترك جميعها في كشف حقيقة الانسان وكم هو كائن قبيح شهواني يستبيح كل شيء في سبيل إرضاء ملذاته وشهواته ولا يعترف بأي حدود أو حواجز قد تضعها المدنيه أو النظام الحديث في ترويض هذا الإنسان.

اللغه مفرطه في البذاءه والفحش وجميع القصص تشترك في ثلاث محاور رئيسيه الجنس والخمر ورهانات الخيل وهي تمثل الثالوث الشهواني الأكبر للإنسانيه.

هذا الكتاب +21 ولا يصلح للمحافظون المتحفظون لأنهم قد يحمرون خجلآ من مدي القبح المستشري بين الصفحات واللغه الفاحشه المستخدمه ولكن عذرآ فالقبح في الواقع أكثر فحشآ..

[AJ Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus Christ, I've been awake for like 24 hours and my tongue hurts and I've been eating 2 pieces of bread for an hour, but I couldn't resist this one.

I'd really only read Chuck's poetry before, but I enjoyed it and bought this collection of stories after someone told me it would be a nice birthday gift for the lady friend.

I think this person hated me. I almost had an anxiety attack after I read it; Bukowski's MO seems to involve drinking excessive beer, having somewhat selfish sex with girls whom he alternately refers to as "bitch," "cunt," "whore," "slut," and pretty much any other derogatory term you can think of. Shortly following, he usually uses the empty bottles to inflict some pain on said female(s). Other variations include coughing up blood, betting on horses, getting blowjobs from men who mistake him for someone else, and turning into a inch-tall man used as a human dildo for his overbearing girlfriend.

In other words, not the best way to say "I really love ya, honey."


If you can get past that, though, the writing is splendid and coarse, and it's good to see a writer not holding back at all; at least, I have to hope this wasn't censored for content.

R.I.P. Chaz Bukowski and his bleeding, disintegrating liver.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need to scrub my eyes and my brain. I've heard people quote the old guy like he's a God, so i thought I'd give him a read.
Jesus-h-christ, wtf people. Firstly, his writing is terrible! I know people are gonna be all like 'don't be so square daddy-o, he's a poet man, a beat writer, far-out' Nope, he was just an old white drunken misogynist, racist, pedophile where those three things have been revered in our sick society for far too long.
His writing has no style, no rhythm, it's not interesting, thoughtful or insightful - it simply reads as it was written, a stream of drunken consciousness from a complete prick.
After reading his 'work' I will be casting a much more critical eye over the people I know that love and relate to it.
Yeah perving on little girls is edgy, slapping women around is insightful, being a complete dick to everyone is so underground.
I now understand why Bukowski is the poster child for whiny leftarded re-pillers.
There are so many other amazing books to read in the world, I'm pissed I was fooled into reading this s**t - seriously, if you have half a brain and a sense of decency - don't do it.

[Maisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Bukowski was around today, he'd be completely cancelled. It's strange that this fact is what draws me to his works, despite also loathing his misogyny. There's no disputing that his writing is excellent but sometimes I find myself baffled and equally in awe at how crudely he describes the world around him. Bukowski's rawness is, weirdly enough, completely refreshing from what I usually read.

[Po Po · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spent entire afternoon with this one.

Inappropriately amusing.

Amusingly inappropriate.

[Manaswita R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite frankly, I have read better stuff on Wattpad.

Bukowski might be a good poet; but he is a terrible, terrible writer. Not only do his stories in this collection lack depth and character, his writing is also sub-standard and way below mediocre. Not to mention, insufferably boring.

The overt sexism, the misogyny, the sneering cynicism and his screaming-right-at-your-face elitism: Jesus, there's a limit to what my mind can ignore! And this pretentious drunk man with his massive inflated ego seems hell bent on pushing that limit!

[Gailė Ne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirmi apsakymai labai geri ir džiuginantys, bet paskui vis ima pasitaikyt prastų. O kai kurių temos... Nežinau. Daugiau nei nedžiuginančios. Nerekomenduoju knygos niekam, išskyrus pačius didžiausius Bukowskio gerbėjus.

[Metin Yılmaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yıllar önce Metis yayınlarından çıkan Kasabanın En Güzel Kızı’nı, bir gün içinde bitirmiştim. Yıllar sonra tekrar okumak istedim ve yine bir kaç saat içinde bitirdim. Ekmek Arası ve Factotum’u ayrı tutarsak, en iyi Bukowski kitapları sıralamasında ilk sıraya yerleşir. Her ne kadar seveni sevmeyeni tartışması bol olsa da bana göre iyi bir kalemi var. Eğer bir başlangıç kitabı arıyorsanız ve roman yerine kısa öyküler düşünüyorsanız, tavsiye ederim.

[Mike Fiddleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my introduction to bukowski. damn, i loved it.

i've loaned it out to several friends over the years. and i never get the sucker back. i'm on my fifth copy or so.

[Jovana Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The older I get the more I understand this strange man.

[محمد العرڨوبي · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
هذا الكتاب الرّابع الذي أقرؤه للسكّير الاستثنائي والأديب المشاغب تشارلز بوكوفسكي ..

منذ سنوات قليلة، كانت رواية "أدب رخيص" بمثابة أوّل مصافحة لي مع مؤلفات هذا الكاتب، اندهشت حينها من أسلوب كتابته ولغته المتحدية للرّقابة والنّصوص الخالية من التورية حيث تميل إلى المباشرتية بشكلٍ صادم أحيانًا ..
قد يخامرك للوهلة الأولى شعورٌ بأنّ هذا الكاتب ممعن في الابتذال أو أنّ أعماله تفتقر للجمال، لكنك ستنتهي حتما بتقبّلها بل والإعجاب بها ما أن تكتشف أبعادها الفنيّة والأدبية ..
فمن الحتمي إذن أن يكون هناك من يهزّ الأدب نفسه بنصوصه ولغته ويتحدّث عنها بصوت عالٍ، أي أن يحظى ببعض الاهتمام وبعض النقد.
أثناء قراءتي لهذه المجموعة القصصية ألفيتني غارقًا تتنازعني رغبة بالإدانة حينا والدفاع أحيانا، تجتذبني الأسئلة بينما تخلبني العبارات عقلي وتطوّح به بعيدًا، كل هذا جعلني أخلص إلى أنّ العمل الذي تجرّب فيه كلّ هذه المشاعر لا يمكن إلاّ أن يكون عظيما ويستحق القراءة ..
هذه المرّة الأولى التي أقرأ له كتابا يحتوي على قصص قصيرة (ثلاثون قصّة) ولن أبالغ بالقول بأنّ جميعها بنفس الجودة، أعتقد أنّني أحببت بعضها كثيرًا بينما وصل بي الحال إلى الملل مع بعضها الآخر ..
وفقا للتّعليق التّوضيحي للكتاب، تظهر عبقرية هذا المؤلف بشكل أفضل في القصص القصيرة، التي يكون أسلوبها بسيطًا، بعيدا عن التّمطيط والسّرد المنمّق، فيصل تركيز الفكر إلى أعلى مستوياته.. لذلك، تندمج هنا ثلاثون قصة ساخرة، ولكنّها صادقة في صميمها ويمكن حتى أن نصل إلى نعتها بالعاطفية. كلّ ذلك في سرد لحياة فرد في القاع سرعان ما يتحوّل إلى نقد لاذع لبيئته الموبوءة وحياته المتعثرة.
نهايةً، أوصي به لعشاق الأدب الحقيقي ..

[Rosa Ramôa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... como já disse anteriormente, ela tinha jeito. há umas que sabem, outras que não. a maior parte delas fica-se pelo sobe-e-desce do costume. a Linda começava pelo pénis, abandonava-o, passava para os tomates, depois abandonava os tomates, voltava outra vez ao pénis, um mimo, uma fantástica quantidade de energia, DEIXANDO SEMPRE A PONTA DO CARALHO SOZINHA. INTACTA. por fim, punha-me a lançar gemidos para o tecto e a dar-lhe toda a espécie de mentiras relacionadas com o que eu haveria de fazer por ela quando finalmente me deixasse de merdas e parasse de me armar em pelintra.
depois, ela veio e apanhou a ponta, pôs a boca aí a um terço do caminho, fez uma ligeira pressão aspirada com os dentes, a mordiscadela da loba, e eu vim-me OUTRA VEZ- o que perfazia quatro vezes naquela noite e estava completamente arrumado. há mulheres que sabem mais do que a ciência médica ...

[Dominic Carrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bukowski, it seems, was a dirty, nasty, drunken son-of-a-bitch--mostly because his writing comes across as autobiographical, even if it wasn't. I am not here to judge the man. I simply want to say that his writing is engaging and hilarious. It's kinda like a straight shot of dirty truth and a bare knuckle punch to the face. There is no bullshit, no pretense in his writing. I can see how some people hate it, or are disgusted by it. I think, despite any judgements, it is genius in it's simplicity and humor. Paradoxically, after reading Bukowski, I vacillate between wanting to drink a few beers, and never drinking alcohol again.

[أحمد شاكر · Rating 3 out of 5]

يعمد بوكوفسكي إلى تعرية الإنسان وكشف سوأته تماما من خلال حكاياتاه التي لا تنتهي ومغامراته التي خاضها.  لقد عاش حياة مليئة بالأحداث المثيرة التي أنصجت كتاباته وقصصه. إنه يفضح تلك الحضارة المزعومة، وتقدم البشرية المزعوم، وآدميتنا المزعومة. إنه يفكك كل شيء، ويرده إلى أصله: البدائية والبهيمية.
ما زلت غير قادر على أن أفصل بين ميللر وبوكوفسكي. جرأة واحدة. فجاجة واحدة. تحطيم لكل الثوابت والأعراف في السرد والكتابة. اللعنات التي يصبونها على أمريكا وحياة أمريكا. ربما كان بوكوفسكي أكثر شاعرية من ميللر. ربما.
أخيراً، إني أتخيل بوكوفسكي راكبا فوق طائرة شراعية يطوف حول العالم وهو يتبول فوقه. ويلقي قصيدة طويلة جدا عن مؤخرة قرد.
هكذا أتخيل علاقة بوكوفسكي بالعالم.

[Otilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negaleciau labiau dziaugtis, kad tai baigesi.

[shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

2
Hunter S. Thompson but with sex instead of drugs. That makes it sound cool but not really it was giving dirty old man.

[Arief Bakhtiar D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

BUKOWSKI

Charles Bukowski adalah penulis Amerika Serikat kelahiran Jerman. Gaya hidupnya liar dan sering mabuk-mabukan. Mungkin itu sebabnya, 30 cerita pendek dalam buku "The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories" selalu beririsan dengan pengalaman bercinta, alkohol, judi pacuan kuda, dan pikiran-pikiran mesum. Sebagian judulnya memperlihatkan itu: "Life in Texas Whorehouse", "The Fuck Machine", "Non-Horseshit Horse Advice", "Another Horse Story", "My Big-Assed Mother", "All the Pussy We Want", "A Drinking Partner", atau "A White Pussy". Dalam buku ini, Bukowski 'The Dirty Old Man' menuliskan kejujuran yang brutal tentang hidup yang liar.

Bukowski pernah mengatakan bahwa ia menulis apa saja yang ia pikirkan. Kehidupan bebasnya barangkali memberinya ide-ide tulisan yang cenderung liar. Lagipula seseorang, menurut Bukowski, tidak mungkin bisa menulis tanpa suatu kehidupan, sementara menulis sepanjang hari bukan lah suatu kehidupan. Oleh sebab itu, Bukowski tak pernah menyesal dengan gaya hidupnya, meskipun kerap kali bolak-balik ke rumah sakit. Pergulatannya dengan perempuan, alkohol, dan judi adalah hal yang sangat ia nikmati. Namun, berbeda dengan stensilan yang cenderung sekedar mengandalkan ke-mesum-an, tulisan Bukowski mengandalkan plot yang bertenaga dan kejutan yang kuat. Tulisannya tidak berbelit-belit, seperti tempo metropolitan yang cepat dan penuh bahaya.

Dalam karyanya, Bukowski merekam caranya memandang nasib serba sulit dengan cara menikmati segala yang ditawarkan kehidupan. Bagi saya, cerita-cerita pendek Bukowski tahun 1960-1970-an waktu itu adalah olok-olok terhadap Perang Dingin yang serius dan mencekam. Bahkan ketika ia menulis tentang perang dan bom dalam cerpen "Politics is like Trying to Screw a Cat in the Ass" (karena ada yang pernah bertanya kenapa ia tak pernah menulis tentang politik atau dunia internasional), ia masih sempat menyisihkan bagian akhir untuk menegaskan: "[M]aafkan aku, para pembaca, aku mesti kembali kepada pelacur dan kuda dan minuman keras..."

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the stories in this collection were already familiar to me through Bukowski’s other collections, because this is pretty much a collection of different stories from different places that are all pulled into one under the general theme of the women that he met throughout his life. And of course, because it’s Bukowski, it’s offensive as shit if you don’t want to read about alcoholism, bigotry, all sorts of weird sex stuff and just the darker side of humanity as a whole.

Still, it’s a pretty good introduction to his work, and it was enjoyable enough to read. It didn’t stand out though, either for being bad or for being good. And honestly, if you’re going to check out his prose rather than his poetry then you’re probably better off going for one of his novels instead of for one of his short story collections. There are also some recent releases that bring together his work on subjects like love, cats and writing, which also work pretty well as a introduction.

I’m glad I read this and I did enjoy it, but I’m thirty odd books in now and pretty much just finishing off the final few Bukowski books that I haven’t read. S0 yeah.

[Ioanna Nikita · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really really disgusting. The first story was kinda good but it has nothing to do with the rest of the stories. Some are meaningless, some make you feel angry, some make you feel repulsed. All this book is about is whores, drinking, gambling, fighting. There are even two stories about rape. One is about 2 men that rape the body of a dead woman and the other is about a man that rapes a six-year-old girl in front of two other young boys. And these stories are from the perspective of the rapist. I don't really think you want to read that. These stories will hunt your mind and appear right before you fall asleep. I don't recommend this book to anybody. I finished it only because I had bought it. Sure all parts of a human's brain can be interesting but I don't think this book is worth it.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories straight from Skid Row that's many things, including but not limited to brutal, sad, frightening, touching, honest, bitter, coarse, disturbing and hilarious.

Most are very good, a couple didn't interest me at all (the horse-racing ones - betting odds make as much sense to me as Klingon) and some are excellent. Rounding it out brings me to give this a 3!

Standouts for me were:

Six Inches
The Fuck Machine
Life & Death in the Charity Ward
Swastika
Politics is Like Trying to Screw a Cat in the Ass
The Murder of Ramon Vasquez

[إلهام · Rating 1 out of 5]

يحاول بوكوفسكي من خلال هذه الرواية أن يطرح أسئلة على شاكلة ماذا لو كان الإنسان في حقيقة الأمر حقيراً " النوع الإنساني عامة" ؟
هذا يعني أن كل مل يترتب على ذلك ليس إلا أوهاماً ومعتقدات باطلة مثل الحضارة والإنسانية وما من مركزية يجب ان يتقيد بها الإنسان ولا حد ينبغي الوقوف عنده لأن كل هذا محض أوهام

[*Jurgita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iš trisdešimt istorijų, pasitaikė tik dvi, kurias skaičiau su pasidygėjimu. O jei lyginti su kitomis skaitytomis Charles Bukowski knygomis, tai ši kolkas pasirodė aštriausia.
Neskanu kartais jį skaityti, bet kažkaip ir mesti nesinori...