Literature · Film · Media · 1920–1994
Born: 16 August 1920 · Died: 9 March 1994 · Age: 73
American poet and novelist known for his gritty depictions of life
Did you know?He worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service for over a decade before finding literary success.
Charles Bukowski wrote about the people literature usually ignored. His characters were drinkers, gamblers, workers and losers in cheap Los Angeles rooms. His style was blunt and funny, and he saw himself as an outsider. He was nearly 50 before a small publisher paid him to quit his job. Critics have attacked his treatment of women, and readers remain divided. Yet his work sells widely around the world, especially among young readers.
Henry Charles Bukowski ( boo-KOW-skee; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, German:; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted home city of Los Angeles.
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Profile
German-American writer, born 1920
Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach on 16 August 1920.
He worked for years at the US Postal Service.
His first novel was Post Office in 1971.
He wrote thousands of poems about drink, work and women.
Career highlights
Did you know?His gravestone reads 'Don't try'.
Questions people ask
b. 1958Photo: chrisweger · CC BY-SA 2.0
b. 1954Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
1913–1992Photo: Menachem Begin 1978.jpg : USAF personnel derivative work: Ladislav Faigl ( talk ) · Public domain
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