David’s Comments (group member since Oct 03, 2012)

David’s comments from the Bukowski group.

Vikkat wrote: "Hi guys,
being a fan of Bukowski's work for a long time, I grasped the opportunity to write a thesis that would make him the subject. I'm studying film theory, and I want to write about the two mov..."

I think what's interesting about Factotum and to an extent Barfly is that notion of the outside. The character is one that thumbs his nose at the standard conventions of society and in doing so sets himself out to be an outsider. This has a lot in common with classic American genres like "the road movie" where people are forced on to the road because they have no place in society and a great deal in common with the western as all too many of the western narratives are about setting out to build your own world. Chinaski, in a way, is a classic American character who is out of time with the new American around him, an antihero to modern culture and conventions yet the architect of America he's a fascinating character.

If you want to chat more about the character and film theory (as I studied it at Queen's) give me a shout at dave@knifedinvenice.com

Good luck!

Love it.

Very much depends on my mood. Either Post Office or Factotum, am currently re-reading Factotum so that probably tells you something.

He captures in three words what other writers flirt with in a chapter, his minimal precision is amazing.

You write a hell of a lot more but the quality is directly related to level of consumption. Red wine loosens the vocabulary somewhat.