| Muses Review - Book Review- Winter 2005 |
| Andrew's Book Review |
| Buy This Book: Last Call: The Legacy of Charles Bukowski Edited by: RD Armstrong |
| Andrew Angus's book review is copyrighted to Muses Review. You must ask permission from the author if you want to use the book review. |
| Title: Last Call: The Legacy of Charles Bukowski Edited: by RD Armstrong Pages: 124 pages Price: $15.99 Publisher: LUMMOX Press (www.lummoxpress.com) PO Box 5301 San Pedro, CA 90733 ISBN 1-929878-06-0 Rating: 4 laurels out of 5 laurels (4 laurels = Very Good) ----------------------------------------- Review By: Andrew Angus I do not know who Charles Bukowksi is when I first received this poetrybook for review. I wondered why poets and writers are writing poems in his memoriam. What is so special about Charles Bukowski? I decided to research on Charles Bukowski and then read the book at the same time. Charles Bukowski's poems are known for its frank vulgarity. He is not a doctorate in literature. He learned poetry outside of the academe. He worked as a postman for 14 years while he read and write his poems. He came from a poor family and rose to international fame. He is known as a drunkard. After his death in 1994, he became more famous that literary conventions and academic symposia are being held about his writings. I decided to give a special award for this book: 1st Muses Prize - Best Poem Anthology of Year 2004 because I liked some of the poems printed in this book. "Anthology" means a collection of writings from different authors. This book, Last Call: The Legacy of Charles Bukowski, is a collection of poems, short stories, essays from different authors who somehow liked the writings and poetry of Charles Bukowski. The anthology, Last Call.... is divided into three parts: Poetry- 40 poems, II. Short Stories - 6 short stories and III. Essays - 9 essays. Poems that captured my attention in this book, just to name a few are: Bretton Holmes's poem "Einstein Isn't So Sexy Anymore", Jay Alamares's poem-"Death Dirge in b Flat", Joe Speer's poem "My Comrades", Linda Lerner's poem "Vision of Outlaw Ghosts", Henry Denander's poem "At the racehorse", Joy Buckley's poem. "Not Bukowski", etc. Linda's poem "Vision of Outlaw Ghosts" is about Bukowski's life as a postman. Henry Denander's poem "At the racehorse" is about Bukowski's love for drinking and racehorse. Bretton Holmes's poem "Einstein Isn't So Sexy Anymore" is a semi-sarcastic poem about Einstein. Not all the poems are about Bukowski. The editor explained in the introduction that the anthology's featured poems are chosen that reflects Bukowski's style of poetry. The theme of the poems range from praise for Bukowski, child abuse, insights about Bukowski, sightings about Bukowski, sarcasm, humor, etc. It is filled with the work of 42 writers including: the editor RD, Armstrong, Alan Catlin, Gerald Locklin, Michael Lefanto, Bretton B. Homes and William Taylor, Jr., Charles P. Ries, Joe Speer, etc. The book's contributors are mainly from US. Some contributors are from Sweden, France and Belgium. The six short stories contributed by various writers are written in the style of Bukowski, the poet from California. The nine essays give us some insights on Charles Bukowski's poetry and prose and his contribution to American literature. One essay compares Charles Bukowski to Colridge Woodsworth and Walt Whitman, the famous American poet/writer. Alexander Thiltges writes in his essay " Bukowski and the Romantic Influence: Writing as Means of Transgression" in p.84 : "Bukowski, on the other hand, who addresses his poetry to the "common man, " is the first American poet to be read by the working class. Wordsworth's vision of what poetry should be is nevertheless very similar to Bukowski's." One essay considers Bukowski to be a great American writer like Ernest Hemmingway or Scott Fitzgerald. The essays about Bukowski are well-written, very informative, thought-provoking and persuasive. I think Bukowski is enjoyed by the working class because Bukowski experienced their hardships and is a member of their class. Bukowski was able to capture the experiences, tastes, thinking of the working class in his poetry and writings. Who knows the readers of this anthology might be converted or even be influenced by Bukowski's style of writing- raw, without artificiality, very human, unafraid of taboo themes, vulgar, frank, socially provocative, sexually provocative, mass-oriented, iconoclast, non-conformist. Bukowski is a literary phenomenon. He was born in 1921 and he died in 1994 at the age of 73 with fame. I never read his poems and writings in my country until I arrived in the US and started this Muses Review, an online e-zine reviewing poetrybooks in 2004. This book is a good reference on the literary style and life of Charles Bukowski. I would recommend this book to those who wants to know about this enigmatic yet famous American literary artist. (M) --------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Book Data: Title of Book: Last Call: The Legacy of Charles Bukowski Editor: Raindog Armstrong (California) Genre: Anthology of Poetry, Short Story and Essays from different poets/writers. ISBN:1-929878-06-0 Publisher: Lummox Press (California) www.lummoxpress.com Release Date: 2004 Book Format: Paper back Book Binding: Perfect Book Size: 5 in x 8 in Pages:124 Price: $16.00 Shipping: 4$ for first book.(3$ for second piece.) Bookstores: Muses Review Method of Payment: Credit Card or check Email: editor@musesreview.org Postmail: 2267 Woodranch Road, San Jose CA 95131, USA Book Award: 1st Muses Prize - Best Poem Anthology of Year 2004. |
