Η βιογραφία του Τσαρλς Μπουκόβσκι

by Barry Miles, Γιάννης Λειβαδάς (Translator)

Η βιογραφία του Τσαρλς Μπουκόβσκι διά χειρός Μπάρι Μάιλς είναι η πιο συμπαγής, αντικειμενική και με αριστοτεχνική απλότητα δομημένη, απ' όσες έχουν κυκλοφορήσει μέχρι σήμερα. Η επιλογή του Μάιλς να ελέγξει εξονυχιστικά όλες τις διαθέσιμες πηγές αποδείχτηκε καταλυτική. Ο Μάιλς είναι ο πρώτος που απέφυγε να υποστηρίξει το, εν πολλοίς κατασκευασμένο, πορτρέτο του Αμερικανού λογοτέχνη. Ο Μπουκόβσκι δημιούργησε και έζησε σε έναν περιδίνητο άξονα στωικισμού, μηδενισμού και υπαρξισμού, αντικατέστησε την πολιτική και τη θρησκεία με την ποίηση, και με αυτή εκπροσωπήθηκε, τοποθετήθηκε, μέσα σε μια κοινωνία που σπαράσσεται αδιάλειπτα από τον κυνισμό, τη βία και την επιφατικότητα: "το να ζεις δεν είναι παρά μια επιδέξια θυσία". Η βιογραφία του Τσαρλς Μπουκόβσκι μπορεί να θεωρηθεί βραχογραφία ή, ορθότερα, οφείλουμε να την αντιμετωπίσουμε ως μια σύγχρονη βραχογραφία, ένα αναστατήριο επεισόδιο πάνω στον γρανίτη της λογοτεχνικής ιστοριογραφίας.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Poetry, Literary Criticism, History

473 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2005

About the author

Barry Miles is an English author best known for his deep involvement in the 1960s counterculture and for chronicling the era through his prolific writing. He played a key role in shaping and documenting the London underground scene, becoming a central figure among the poets, musicians, and artists who defined the decade’s rebellious spirit. A close associate of figures such as Allen Ginsberg and Paul McCartney, Miles not only witnessed the cultural revolution firsthand but also actively participated in it through ventures like the Indica Gallery and the alternative newspaper International Times.
In the early 1960s, Miles began working at Better Books in London, a progressive bookshop that became a hub for the avant-garde. While there, he was instrumental in organizing the International Poetry Incarnation at the Royal Albert Hall in 1965, an event that marked the emergence of the British underground movement and featured prominent poets like Allen Ginsberg. The same year, Miles co-founded the Indica Bookshop and Gallery, which became a gathering place for creatives and countercultural icons. It was here that John Lennon first met Yoko Ono, at one of her art exhibitions.
Miles also played a role in launching International Times, one of the UK’s first underground newspapers, which Paul McCartney discreetly funded. Miles introduced McCartney to the people behind the project and facilitated many of his early connections with the underground scene. In 1967, he co-organized The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, a legendary multimedia event at Alexandra Palace featuring Pink Floyd, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon, among others.
Later in the decade, Miles took on the management of Zapple Records, an experimental subsidiary of Apple Records. During this time, he produced poetry albums, including one by Richard Brautigan. However, his personal relationship with Brautigan became strained after Miles became romantically involved with Brautigan’s partner, Valerie Estes. The fallout led to communication only through legal representatives. Although Zapple closed before releasing the Brautigan album, it was eventually issued by another label in 1970.
Miles also produced a recording of Allen Ginsberg’s musical interpretation of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, which was released in 1970. He briefly lived with Ginsberg in New York before returning to England following the breakdown of his first marriage. He later married travel writer Rosemary Bailey and continued to live and work in London.
In addition to his memoirs In the Sixties and In the Seventies, Miles has written definitive biographies of cultural icons such as Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now), Frank Zappa, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, and Allen Ginsberg. He is also the author of Hippie, a visual and narrative exploration of the 1960s counterculture. His writings often reflect a mix of personal experience and historical documentation, offering insight into the worlds of rock, literature, and art.
Miles is known not only for his historical accounts but also for his critical views, including pointed commentary on musicians like Rush and Frank Zappa, examining the political and commercial aspects of their work. With a career that spans over five decades, Barry Miles remains one of the most insightful chroniclers of the countercultural and musical revolutions of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Παύλος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Από την πρώτη φορά που έπιασα βιβλίο του Μπουκοφσκι πριν 7-8 χρόνια, μου δημιουργήθηκε η περιέργεια να μάθω περισσότερα για την ζωή του. Τουλάχιστον περισσότερα από όσα αφήνουν να γίνουν γνωστά τα αυτοβιογραφικά του κατά βάση κείμενα. Η παρούσα βιογραφια αποτέλεσε ένα εξαιρετικό οδηγό προς αυτήν την κατεύθυνση και τελικά άξιζε η τρίμηνη αναμονή μέχρι την κυκλοφορία και την αγορά της!

Σε κάτι άλλο τώρα. Συνηθίζουμε στα βιβλία που έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά να μην αναφερόμαστε (δυστυχώς) στον μεταφραστή. Επιτρέψτε μου να πω πως κανένα μεταφρασμένο βιβλίο δε θα είχε την δύναμη να σταθεί από μόνο του αν δεν είχε τον κατάλληλο μεταφραστή που θα το καταστήσει ουσιαστικά προσβάσιμο στους ομιλούντες της εκάστοτε γλώσσας. Είχα την τύχη να διαβάσω και αλλά βιβλία μεταφρασμένα από τον Γιάννη Λειβαδά αλλά και έργα αποκλειστικά δικά του. (Μελέτες και ποίηση) Το μόνο που έχω να πω (όχι ότι χρειάζεται η δίκη μου γνώμη) είναι ότι μακάρι η μεταφραστική και η γλωσσική του ικανότητα σε συνδυασμό με την βαθιά μελέτη και γνώση του πονήματος με το οποίο καταπιάνεται, να ήταν συχνότερη στον χώρο αυτό.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book in HMV, by far the best thing I've got from that shop.

I hadn't read anything by Bukowski before, the only thing I knew was from the Modest Mouse song.

Barry Miles has written about a person he cared for and for me that made a big difference for me.

Bukowski lead an amazing life, fighting and drinking and living for his art. At times he had no money, no food, no warm room to live in but he would still obsessively write on any scrap of paper he could find.

So big thanks to Barry Miles for producing such an amazing biography that helped me to find my favourite author.

Unfortunately I leant this to a friend and lost contact with them. D'oh!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who can relate to a tortured soul, Charles Bukowski's life story will strike a nerve. He was blessed with incredible observational writing skills, but his characters were always this side of social ineptness, and self destructive much like he was. His capacity for drink was legendary, he was moody and dark but his writing and expression was brilliant.

[Isidore · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no question that the Howard Sounes biography is the best book on Bukowski so far. That said, this book has its pleasures. Unlike Sounes, who engaged in real research, Miles' book is pretty much synthesized out of the autobiographical elements in Bukowski's vast oeuvre. This may not be great scholarship, but the fact that so much of its content comes directly or indirectly from Buk's own words actually leaves the reader with a better sense of what to expect from Buk's writings. If you already know Buk, go with Sounes. If you want to know something about the man but have yet to read much (or any) of him, this will give you some idea of who you're dealing with.

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book.i think that it would be of interest to not only anyone obviously into bukowski, but also anyone who wants to write,as his prolific-ness and dedication to writing is truelly inspiring.as is his ability to write amongst all the chaos of his life.the only frustrating thing for me was that the author kept saying that 'bukowski was drinking more than ever'.this phrase was overused and ruined any relativity for me.but gripping,actually.

[Garrett Rowlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went through a Bukowski period in the late seventies, buying his books and even a recording of his poetry (later badly damaged when a roof leaked, ruining the record's considerable resale value) at the old Chatterton's bookshop on Los Feliz. The books reminded me of a brief period when I lived in Hollywood and when I drove a mail pick-up and delivery (to the main terminal annex in downtown LA) down Hollywood Boulevard and back up Sunset. As for Bukowski, I felt the early poetry was the best. I think it was "Love is a Dog from Hell" where he saw himself no longer as a down-and-struggling alcoholic but as a developing celebrity. The poetry reflected this and maybe I was envious of his women--which the biography makes clear weren't in his imagination--and his eventual success. Miles's bio makes clear he was the real thing--a man who lived his life on the edge of society and life itself but through persistence found fame. Considering his amazing capacity for and volume of drink, it's amazing he lived to be 73. You may be disgusted by this life but not bored.

[Sicofonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive biography on Charles Bukowski. This text follows the standard chronological approach for most biographies. Because of the very biographical nature of Bukowski's works, I'd say any Buk fan would be familiar with the vast majority of events related at the beginning of the book. Abused child, outcast teenager and troubled young man. We know the script.
However, the book picks up somewhere half-way thru as Barry Miles tries to go beyond what is common knowledge and question some aspects of Bukowski's life.
The last couple of chapters are especially interesting. This is the period when Bukowski was a well established author. Now that he was financially sound, he still had some demons to fight. Perhaps that's the less known side of Buk, and it is where Miles work shines.

Personally speaking, I found the first half of the book to be dull. That's because I'm a Bukaholic and knew most of things. But as I said, the second half is a real source of interesting details on Bukowski life. Miles had access to some interviews (some of them I've never read/seen) that give more insight on Buk's life.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not normally a huge fan of biographies, but I couldn't resist picking up this one. All in all, it was pretty good. I did find it quite a bit different than Cherkovski's, even though the same facts are at the base. I think Miles had an image of Bukowski that he wanted to show and did so. Of course, so did Cherkovski. Most biographers probably do. You probably get a more complete picture by reading different ones and finding the "truth" somewhere in between.

[Lollipopwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read on Bukowski, "the laureate of American low-life". A biography that scrapes away all the myth and legend of the man, and sheds light on his fears and struggles and loves.

I enjoyed that Barry Miles also included bits on the history of Los Angeles, a city that often plays a character in Bukowski's poems and stories.

[Cory Fosco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cool new insights, but nothing overwhelmingly different than any other biography of Bukowski. I learned more about his relationship with his first wife, and got a glimpse of what she looked like, which no other book really has.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great supplement to Bukowski: Born Into This documentary. Bukowski is a favorite of mine and this was a well written bio of him.

[christopher leibow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Buk bio I have ever read. No fan worshiping and anectdotes I have never heard. Miles slides back the curtains of bravado and gently has us look at the knot of a man Buk was.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not-astounding biography of Charles Bukowski that covered all the bases and told me everything I needed to know, and then some.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bailed at a little over 100 pages. How somebody can make an outsized personality like Bukowski seem boring is beyond me.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My best friend got this as a birthday gift for me because he knows how much I like Bukowski (thanks to him introducing me to him). Great read, recommended.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great biography on Buk that gives Howard Sounes' biography a run for its money.
If you have already read Sounes' biography, Locked in the Arms of a Crazed Life, then you will be already familiar with much of the content that Barry Miles covers here. However, of course, their styles are quite different. I can't tell which writer I like better. They are both good in their own ways. Sounes' prose is so smooth and easy to read, it's a breeze, an absolute cinch, which I think Buk himself would enjoy. Miles' writing is not difficult to follow at all either, in parts it's actually quite sophisticated, and he really has a way with words. I learned a few new things from this biography though. For example, I didn't know that Bukowski was such a cokehead in the late 1970s before meeting Linda Lee Beigle.

I only have two gripes with this book, and that's why I docked it a star:
1) The majority of the book covers Buk's life up until the mid-1970s. However, much of Buk's best writing, I think, came later in his life, after the fame had faded and as death approached. His final years from the late 1970s through the 1980s and up until his death in 1994 are covered in just 2 chapters. I would have liked to have seen Miles stretch out a bitter more, and go into more fine-grained detail about things that happened in Buk's life during this crucial period, where he was reconnecting with his muse again (and while alcohol was a reliable muse in the past, he had other muses later on) - it felt somewhat rushed.
2) This is more of a lit nerd gripe (sorry). Miles writes that Bukowski is the main character of his novels (except for Pulp). Now, of course, Henry Chinaski, is modelled on Bukowski himself (just like Arturo Bandini was modelled on John Fante), to conflate the two, and say that Buk himself is the main character of his novels is a bit inaccurate in my opinion. Chinaski is an alter-ego version spawned by Hank's imagination, no doubt, but it is not the same as Charles Bukowski. And to say that the main difference between Pulp and the other novels is that Pulp is FICTION (while the others are not?) is just flat wrong. Miles contradicts himself here somewhat, calling the earlier work autobiographical fiction (just like Kerouac's Duluoz Legend) but to be honest, it's ALL fiction, let's face it. Of course, much of the stories mentioned in his novels are probably based, sometimes closely based, on things that really happened. That does not make it automatically NON-FICTION though. In short, Chinaski is part of the Buk mythography, but he is not Buk. There I said it.
These two gripes aside, this is a very enjoyable and informative biography to read. Highly recommended - right up there with Sounes' book on the great writer.

[Steve Bal4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Bukowski, by Barry Miles, is an interesting and adequate biography of the much revered (and sometimes despised) writer & poet. It creates a sequential story of his life with heavy reference to his actual writings --- sometimes almost borrowing verbatim --- to give a detailed account of where, when and sometimes, why he wrote about much of what he did. As Bukowski led an incredible life so it goes that many readers will be fascinated by the tales shared here. The creative life and all it entails are explored here in many different facets as they pertained to the subject and I enjoyed reading Bukowski's thoughts and beliefs regarding his and other's creativity. There are also some great references to all the writers and friends that inspired Bukowski and the contemporaries, and adversaries, that worked at various times in the literary communities throughout his lifetime.

Where this biography loses a few points with me is in recognizing that the author has extrapolated heavily from Charles Bukowski's writings, and, often flip-flops on whether or not what Bukowski wrote is fact or fiction. There is no doubt that Bukowski was a complicated and often contradictory individual (and perhaps that's the point?) but I found the argument for whether he was being truthful or not with certain poems or stories was confusing and tiresome at times. As this was my first reading of a biography on him I found it well-written and compelling enough to carry me through to the end though.

⭐⭐⭐

[Victoria Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how long I've been reading Charles Bukowski but after running across a clip I saved from the 9/2-8/11 issue of the "L.A. Weekly" called "Buke It Out" about his book "More Notes of a Dirty Old Man" I felt compelled to read "Charles Bukowski" by Barry Miles along with that book. Divided into 11 chapters, spanning from his horrendous childhood rife with paternal abuse to his death of cancer on March 9, 1994 at 73, I discovered that I wasn't just reading this book I was living parts of it and learning about writing in L.A. from a master.
Now along with Jack Kerouac and J.D. Salinger, whom I've always thought of as literary soul mates, I can rank Bukowski as one too. Through this book I was shocked at how much our paths had crossed and we hadn't met before. At one point, in his life, he lived in the apartment building located next to "Kaiser Sunset Hospital" where I was born and he also attended "Virginia Road Elementary School", a school my mother attended as a child. He worked at "Terminal Annex Post Office", which happened to be the place my father worked at until he transferred to West L.A. Post Office, and retired from. Most importantly he frequented one of my father's favorite stomping grounds "Hollywood Park Racing Track".
The other writers who influenced him, John Fante,Salinger, Kerouac and a long list of others combined with his low-life influences (i.e., alcohol, whores, homelessness and fighting) also make him infinitely interesting and the way Miles incorporates them with Bukowski's work gives this biography a lot of substance.

[David Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, Comprehensive & Detailed, the Biographer was able to remain objective about a man and poet that engenders such emotion and passion amongst his fans and detractors. At times, sad, interesting and compulsive, the amount of drinking described was to the detriment of description and detail of individual poems. I would have liked more detail on his poems, not just books and anthologies.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of writer Charles Bukowski. His life, like his writing, was a vast waste of tedium punctuated occasionally by something interesting. I was especially struck that, for a poet as populist as he was, he hated to do public readings of his work.

[patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diving in . . . Bottoms Up !

What a story! What a life!

[Adam]

Great book, I enjoyed the poetry enormously.

[Manar Ouartssi]

i loved this book , it is a very well-written biography about the prolific underground writer charles bukowski

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly comprehensive biography of Bukowski. It sews together his poems and stories into a patchwork of his life. Little to no bullshit.

[Pierpaolo Bonante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dietro le quinte. Curioso.

[Vilný Faun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bukowski...
Často mě během čtení jeho knih napadá, zda bych se s tímto člověkem přátelil nebo bych byl jeho přítomností znechucen. Napadá mě to mezi řádky často, přesto nedokážu jednoznačně odpovědět. Nejspíš za to může jeho schizofrenní chování, balancování mezi duchaplnými debatami a prohazováním rádia oknem, zbytečným násilím a pozérskou otravností.
Bukowski mě svým způsobem uvedl do čtení knih pro dospělé. Lepší přechod mezi knihami od Lemony Snicketa a Welshem, Palahniukem a podobnou verbeží jsem si nejspíš vybrat nemohl.
Sledovat vybírání si Bukowského témat paralelně s jeho vlastním životem je lahůdka. Ač kniha vyvrací takzvaný "Bukowski mýtus", pořád nám po očesáním přeháněk a nepravd zbývá ohromná divočina. To že vše co Buki tvrdí není pravda je pro mě samozřejmost, vždyť si kolikrát protiřečí sám ve svém díle. To že každá situace v jeho díle není pravdivá ovšem neubírá na atmosféře doby a prostředí, jak ji dokázal zachytit jedině on svým rozostřeným pohledem a která je svým způsobem dokumentárně cenná, protože v té době ještě nebylo dokumentování lůzy tak populární, jak je tomu dnes.
Nešťastné dětství, toulky Amerikou, extrémní chudoba, rvačky, hektolitry chlastu, život mezi spodinou, zásahy láskou, čte se to stejně jako Hankovi nejlepší povídky a básně a za to autorovi skládám poklonu.
Přestože Hank svým chováním ublížil spoustě lidem, přesto po propadnutí jeho psaní nelze jeho pohnutky zavrhnout a také s ním nelze nesympatizovat. Velké překvapení pro mě byl vztah s jeho dcerou, kdo by to do starého prasáka řekl, že bude tak milujícím otcem.
Konec knihy "Starý muž a jeho kočky" pak nevyhnutelně zachycuje Bukowského umírání a přestože se to dalo čekat, měl jsem slzy na krajíčku. Bylo to pro mě jak sledovat ulovení nějakého majestátního velkého zvířete, zkrátka se to pokoření smrtí k takovému tvorovi vůbec nehodí.
Miles odvedl bravurní práci, ověřování si informací, pídění se po pravdě, analýza publikování Hankova díla, muselo to spolknout hodně času a na výsledku je to znát.
Jednou větou: Dokonalá biografie fascinujícího člověka.

[Carleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Well, let me say that when I first met my husband we lived in Charleston South Carolina. Bear with me. I had over the past couple of years done a lot of reading particularly of books from an unassuming yet unique bookstore down on King Street (I discovered Lorca there, and Marquez).There I found a book called notes of a dirty old man. I didn’t buy it because I thought my then husband to be was a dirty old man. No. I just had flipped through it and loved the writing and was hoping he might love good writing as well. It did make quite the impression on him when I gave it to him. He was only two years older than I. But from there we somehow made it, now into our 40+ years of marriage I’m quite happy. So with that backstory, Bukowski has always touched me with his writing. This biography brought me down because I learned so much more of his life than I ever wanted to know, yet I so appreciate his obsession with writing. He did it. He made it. Despite his self imposed dirty little life. I don’t do California. I never really liked it, but my all-time favorite writer from that area is Joan Didion, who obviously wrote a lot differently than Bukowski. Going down a rabbit hole. Sorry! This is a fabulous book. I know it will stay with me and I am inspired by it and by Bukowski.

[James Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a decent read - not as interesting as Miles' Burrough's biography - but a good overview of Bukowski's life nevertheless. He seems a fairly exasperating character and, as silly as this sounds, a proper drunk, with all that that entails. The book is a good read and is a decent way of filling in the blanks behind the books.
Personally, I love a bit of Bukowski because he's such a breath of (filthy) air in what can often be a stuffy literary world. I wouldn't want there to be only Bukowski books out there by any means but I thank Christ there are some. You need one from time to time.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people that read this book are probably a fan of Bukowski. I've read just about everything by him or about him, to me he's the best over ever, and a great writer in general. So I had this bevy of facts swirling in my head about him. The Miles book was so thorough it put everything I'd already read about Buk in order. But it wasn't just a chronological book, Miles adds a lot on great insights into the enigmatic character Bukowski.

dave

[Darlene Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Honest Biography

What a great book about a great writer. Hank is no small character and to relate his existence as human, likable and real is quite the accomplishment. To lead your young life when you are older is difficult. Thanks become a success is difficult but here idle Hank Bukowski doing it all. This book left me wanting more.