Navigation – Plan du site

AccueilNuméros2Actualité de la rechercheInternational Conference: “Readin...

Actualité de la recherche

International Conference: “Reading, Readings, Loving Charles Bukowski: An Invitation to a Subjective Reading (1920-1994)”

Université Bordeaux Montaigne, June 6th and 7th 2024
Sahar Kheirandish

Entrées d’index

Haut de page

Texte intégral

1The international conference dedicated to subjective readings of Charles Bukowski, titled “Reading, Readings, Loving Charles Bukowski: An Invitation to a Subjective Reading (1920-1994),” was held in Pessac on the 6th and 7th of June 2024 to celebrate six decades of sisterhood between Bordeaux and Los Angeles. The event, organized by Amélie Macaud (Université Bordeaux Montaigne) and Sophie Rachmuhl (Université Bordeaux Montaigne) with the support of their research group CLIMAS, was initiated by the head of the research group, Pascale Antolin (Université Bordeaux Montaigne). The event also received support from Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Institut des Amériques, Bordeaux Métropole, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSBH), Cinéma Utopia, and Bradley’s Bookshop in Bordeaux, France. The conference was primarily held at the MSBH conference hall, and participants were invited to discuss their subjective analysis and interpretation of Bukowski’s works and influence in literature, art, and culture, and to examine his reception in the Los Angeles poetry circle and his influence on readers from other parts of the world.

Opening

2Pascale Antolin opened the event with a selection of quotes from Bukowski’s short stories and letters that highlighted several themes, from America to the war and writing and writers. The excerpts were mainly from the book On Writing (2015), edited by Abel Debritto, the event’s keynote speaker. She began with a quote from the short story “Kid Stardust on the Porterhouse” (1972), where Bukowski writes: “You had to be a winner in America, there wasn’t any way out, and you had to learn to fight for nothing; don’t question.” Next, Bukowski’s letter to Ferlinghetti in 1966, offering his review of the Antonin Artaud Anthology, expressed his tremendous pleasure in reading Artaud’s writing and how it made him conscious of his own writing style, since Artaud shared some stylistic similarities with him. In another anecdote from a letter to Robert Head on October 18, 1967, he wrote about his fervent anti-war political position during the Second World War, and how he believed that war, under no circumstances, was a justifiable act, and how lonely this stance was at the time. Antolin’s third anecdote was from a letter to Gerard Dombrowski, the publisher of the first critical study on Bukowski’s works, in January 1969. In this letter, he discussed the gap between life and literature and how people who had been living life were excluded from literature. He remarked that Céline, Dostoyevsky, and the early Hemingway and early Camus were exceptions to this problem and stated that since 1955, the literary world had shrunk in terms of what he defined as literary greatness. Antolin ended her speech with a letter written to Loss Pequeño Glazier on what it means to be an author. In this letter, Bukowski admitted that he found writers teaching writing at the university appalling, believing that the authenticity and originality of good writing lie within a subjective style that matches the particular talent each writer possesses.

Panel 1. Re-reading Charles Bukowski

3The first panel, dedicated to rereading Charles Bukowski’s works, started with a presentation by Frédéric Vincent (Association of European Psychoanalysts), titled “Chinaski, the Divine Trickster: A Jungian Study.” In his talk, he analyzed the divine trickster archetype in Chinaski’s complex, rebellious, and provocative nature, which challenges societal norms and conventions. As Bukowski’s image of a heavy drinker has always been as famous as his poems and prose, his creative psyche, according to Vincent, was also intertwined with this habit. The divine trickster, like Hermes in Greek mythology and Loki in Norse mythology, is a multifaceted figure that oscillates between subversion and creativity while providing wisdom. Bukowski embodied this character in many of his works. Vincent pointed out that Bukowski’s brutal and cynical narratives often depict life devoid of romanticism and laden with raw truths. The semi-autobiographical Chinaski holds up a mirror to the absurdity of societal norms we seldom question, through his disdain for mundane daily obligations and consumerism. As Freud explained, civilization is built upon the repression of primal urges—the voice of our inner trickster. Bukowski, according to Vincent, unleashes the inner trickster to advocate for an authentic life. Thus, humorous and shocking depictions in his prose leave the reader with a sense of discomfort and a hint of intrigue. The trickster is, at the same time, the seduced and the seducer, the manipulated and the manipulator, suggesting the dynamic and fluid features in human behavior. Vincent argued that rejecting the ideal of success and advocating “the Winnebago culture” as the ideal life is the apex of Bukowski’s work, dissuading men from seeking Western ideals of hard work and consumerism and realizing the futility of the eight-hour workday. In line with Max Stirner’s individualist anarchism, Bukowski rejected social conventions and chasing social approval or grandiose dreams. The stoic approach to alcohol was a lifestyle choice rather than a pathos-filled addiction, representing resistance against societal expectations. Reading Bukowski’s works enables the reader to meet the inner trickster and even experience a therapeutic effect by providing distance from societal constraints. Despite the individualist facets in his works, there is a social dimension that brings like-minded readers critical of contemporary society together. Communities emerging upon his call search for something deeper in his works and way of life. Rather than only shocking and entertaining, Bukowski enlightens the reader and invites them to scrutinize the complexities of the human condition through the lens of the divine trickster, finding liberation in the simplicity of the ordinary.

4The second speaker for this panel, Friedrich Bahmer (retired dermatology professor), provided a reading through the lens of Bukowski’s psycho-cutaneous acne illness, which had plagued him since adolescence. In his autobiographical work Ham on Rye (1982), which he dedicates to all fathers, he describes his challenging relationship with his parents. According to his own account of the situation, he started developing an acne problem due to excess production of testosterone in his body, which also resulted in the excessive growth of his testes. When seeking a remedy, only a nurse was compassionate and concerned about his predicament. Having his acne used as a showcase for other doctors left Bukowski with a strong sense of humiliation. The pus oozing from his abscesses when he squeezed them gave him a sense of pleasure that was not free from pain, which Bukowski called a “disgusting lust.” This type of lust, according to Bahmer, is a reminiscence of the polymorphous perverse form of sexuality of early childhood and the accompanying joy in all bodily secretions. He remarks that this feeling is also a prominent feature in Charlotte Roche’s bestseller Wetlands (2008). In this book, the protagonist, Helen, describes in detail the pleasure of dealing with bodily fluids and decayed products, both her own and those of strangers. Bukowski’s father’s violent attempts to heal his acne by leaving strong peeling pastes on his body for hours also made a great impression on Bukowski’s psyche, and his paternal grandmother called his acne “the devil in disguise.” On account of his encounters with doctors while seeking treatment, Bukowski never tried to seek help from psychologists. He maintained that the psychiatric profession profits from the maintenance of social disorders in society. Well before the acne developed, the restriction of social bonding with neighborhood kids, imposed by his father, had begun the process of isolation for Bukowski. The issues that tormented him evoked fantasies of patricide, which he transformed into rebellion and resistance by taking action. He had his most violent encounter with his father at the age of sixteen, knocking him to the ground. Even after his acne healed, the scars on his face gave him a sense of exclusion from society and prevented him from forming intimate relationships. However, after his success in writing and his success with women, he reconciled with his scarred appearance, which somewhat closed the distance between him and his entourage. In a self-ironic manner, he wrote: “In spite of everything, I like myself with my two small hands and the scarred monkey face.” He further justified his interest in women by referencing the emotional deficits of his childhood: “No love, no nest warmth; I have a lot of catching up to do.” Bukowski turned this stigma and his unhappy childhood—which Hemingway considered the best school for a writer—into creativity. Bahmer further stated that the concept of epigenetic modeling in recent neuroscientific research shows that a chaotic childhood can indeed be a source of particular creativity. In an endeavor to make sense of his sickness, Bukowski once wrote: “Men sometimes get sick just to get out of the wheels of everyday life for a while.” Bahmer further highlighted that, contrary to what some believe, Bukowski is not a Beat writer presenting a certain way of life; he rather focused on human beings on the fringes of society—the alcoholic, the disadvantaged, just like Henry Chinaski, his alter ego.

5The third speaker of this panel, Roni (Chairman of the Bukowski Society in Germany), began his presentation titled “Look who’s talking. Bukowski: his person and his persona” with an excerpt from Charles Bukowski’s appearance on Bernard Pivot’s French literary television show Apostrophes during his visit to France in 1978, where he had to be escorted out of the studio after consuming several bottles of wine. This video raises important questions about the connections between Bukowski’s personal life and his literary works. The “death of the author,” Roni suggested, might not apply to Bukowski’s career. Bukowski himself stated in an interview with the New York Quarterly in 1987 that he is “93 percent what he presents in his poems and prose, and the other 7 percent consists of the improvement of art upon life.” Scholarly research through interviews, letters, photos, and official documents on his autobiographical works has, in several instances, confirmed this identification. One of the subjects that has sparked significant debate among his audience over the years is Chinaski’s numerous sexual affairs with various women. According to Roni, between 1970 and 1976, thirty-one women had sexual encounters with Henry Chinaski. Research has identified many of these women in real life, and almost all the details Bukowski recounts about these encounters have been verified by the identified women. The primary difference in these narratives was the perspective. Furthermore, Roni argued that constructing a public persona or an alter ego to mask the vulnerabilities of a sensitive soul does not call into question the authenticity of Bukowski’s characters or persona. He claims that a deliberately constructed image can still depict an original character. In several instances during public readings, Bukowski would let this persona break, only to bring it back moments later. In both cases, the loss of control was evident, and Bukowski himself was the main victim of this tension.

6The last speaker on the first panel, David S. Calonne (Eastern Michigan University), discussed Bukowski’s affinity for classical music and how his love for Russian and Eastern European literature extended to his musical tastes. In his short story “Aftermath,” published in Story Magazine when he was only 24, the main character receives a guest whom he believes to be Whit Burnett, one of the founders of Story Magazine, and plays Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, third movement, commenting on its distinctiveness. The next story Calonne presented was “Hard Without Music,” in which the main character intends to sell his music records to a nun named Cecilia, which Calonne argues is an allusion to St. Cecilia, the patroness of music. Bukowski describes in detail the physical effects of hearing an excellent piece of music. In another instance, Bukowski reworked a part of Alexander Borodin’s biography to write the poem “The Life of Borodin.” In a letter to Douglas Blazek in 1966, he writes about expecting to hear Bruckner, Wagner, and Mahler on the radio, calling his friend Douglas a “jazz cat” but admitting that he also favors jazz sometimes when it “seeps into my proper vein.” In his book Notes of a Dirty Old Man, mixing high art with the profane, he describes a sexual encounter with “the Elf” while listening to Mahler in the dark and presents himself as a student of Dostoyevsky. Calonne suggests that Bukowski’s passion for instrumental music aligns with Schopenhauer’s ideas on music, which holds that music, unlike other forms of art, directly expresses the will. Bukowski also believed that art was more bearable than life and was a way to achieve a distance from the verbal and real world. In the poem “Classical Music and Me” from the Black Sparrow collection The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992), Bukowski describes the physical sensations he experiences when listening to G.F. Handel’s compositions, feeling as though his head is being lifted to the ceiling. Another Handel piece, Concerto Grosso Op.6, No.4 in A minor, third movement, is featured in a scene from the film Barfly (Barbet Schroeder, 1987). In another poem from the same Black Sparrow collection titled “My German Buddy,” he narrates a spectral vision that appears while he listens to music written by a German composer. Calonne believes that the intertwinement of music with Bukowski’s daily habits, such as writing or drinking beer, shows that much of his work was inspired by the music he was listening to at the time of writing.

Panel 2. Translating, Reading Charles Bukowski elsewhere

7The second panel, dedicated to translating Bukowski and reading his work outside the U.S., began with Matthew McLaughlin’s (Tokyo University of Science/Université Libre de Bruxelles) presentation titled “The Misfit as Hero: Chinaski Versus the Goliath of Social Ostracism (Bukowski’s Appeal in a Japanese Context).” McLaughlin noted that Japanese values differ greatly from American or French values. However, he argued that, irrespective of culture, a misfit is a misfit—someone who feels alienated from the people in their community, whether at home or elsewhere. The misfit, therefore, must adapt and forge their own destiny while fighting for survival. Bukowski’s Ham on Rye, published in 1982, was his fourth novel and deals with the adolescence of Bukowski’s alter ego, Henry Chinaski. This Bildungsroman portrays the horrors of adolescence as Chinaski suffers from domestic abuse and social alienation. In his journey toward adulthood, he gradually learns to fend for himself and carve his own path forward. As McLaughlin put it, Chinaski is “an army of one against society.” Based on readings by Gaylord Brewer and Russell Harrison, McLaughlin explained that Chinaski’s father was shaped by social class, a dynamic that also affects many Japanese individuals. In Japan, industrial development has created what Brewer terms a “false class alignment,” which describes individuals who refuse to associate with their aligned class and its corresponding values in terms of social hierarchy. For instance, the generation that contributed to Japan’s post-World War II revival holds values that differ significantly from the current generation, which grew up in an affluent society. Lower-middle-class families may overspend to appear bourgeois, while some young people from wealthy families reject the expectations of financial and professional stability. While these individuals were once considered “nails that stick out” and were “hammered back” into society (a common Japanese expression), their growing numbers have led to a shift in societal attitudes. Bukowski’s Ham on Rye could provide guidance for such misfits. For this group, an authentic identity is far more crucial than meeting society’s expectations of high status. According to McLaughlin’s observations, the resentful, broken homes many of these individuals grow up to resemble Henry Chinaski’s troubled family life. Technology has also enabled these young people to forge their own paths, through YouTube or freelance work. Despite their autonomy, misfits and their lifestyles are still met with contempt and condescension. In Japan, responsibility and societal perception are crucial, and misfits often face harsh online criticism and real-world ostracism. McLaughlin referenced Brewer’s argument that another reason Chinaski Jr. distances himself from his family is the “fraudulent myth” of social advancement by merit in a home where hard work yields no love, affection, or happiness. This shatters the American Dream for him. Similarly, in Japan, many workplaces require employees to work from 9 to 9, rather than the typical 9 to 5, and success is measured by patience and endurance rather than hard work.

8While most people think of wealth in financial terms, Chinaski is “rich in the currency of time” but financially strained. In Japan, becoming a full-time employee often means devoting your entire life to work until retirement. Over time, free time becomes a rare treasure, leaving employees “poor” in that regard. For these individuals, Bukowski’s gravestone epitaph— “Don’t try”—offers an important message: sometimes, it’s okay not to try. If pursuing happiness means risking everything, it might be better to abandon ship. Chinaski fights back and doesn’t shy away from violence, but in Japanese culture, violence is rarely an option. For many, withdrawal from the corporate rat race is seen as the simplest form of resistance against a dystopian status quo. In this sense, Bukowski’s alter ego becomes a hero for the outcast. In terms of social indifference, Japan, with most of its population already in the middle class, experiences less of a visible class war, but a silent mental war is testing the patience and endurance of individuals forced to suppress their dreams and frustrations. While pursuing alternative paths, like becoming an artist, is possible, there is little support outside one’s immediate circle of loved ones. One form of social ostracism in Japan is called “murahachibu,” a term from the Edo period. As Zenji Koishikawa explains, it refers to a village’s collective decision to sever ties with a household that violated social codes. Unlike Hester Prynne in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, who is publicly humiliated with a scarlet “A,” Japanese ostracism is typically inflicted through silence and ignoring the alienated person’s existence. If one commits an act that is deemed unacceptable by the community, they are excluded from daily communication and assistance. Bukowski’s poetry and novels resonate with such outcasts suffering from alienation. Despite the cultural differences and social class systems, anyone who feels like an undesirable outcast can relate to Bukowski’s sense of alienation from society. He, too, felt pushed into a coercive structure and wanted to resist and escape it before it was too late.

9Marie-Hélène Avril (Université Bordeaux Montaigne) explored the reception of Charles Bukowski’s works translated into Arabic in the Arab world. As discussed throughout the conference, Bukowski’s raw, unfiltered writing style has captured the hearts of many readers overseas. His focus on marginality, struggle, and defiance resonates with a unique readership, even in regions far removed from his cultural context. The first Arabic translation of Bukowski’s work was published in 2009, a collection of poems titled Love is a Dog from Hell (1977), translated by Samir Abou Haoush. Two publishing houses—Manshourat Al-Jamal and Kalima from Abu Dhabi—collaborated to bring the work to life. Such collaborations are often essential due to challenges in book circulation caused by diplomatic tensions, censorship, and logistical hurdles. Poetry holds a revered place in Arab culture, and Bukowski’s emotionally dense and existential musings resonate deeply with Arab audiences. After a five-year hiatus, in 2014, Manshourat Al-Jamel published Rym Qanayem’s translation of Post Office (1971), which circulated in Baghdad and Beirut. This was followed by translations of Women (1978), Pulp (1994), and South with no North (1973) by various translators including Charles Shahawan, Iman Harzallah, and Amani Lazar over the span of two years. These publications highlight Manshourat Al-Jamel’s critical role in introducing Bukowski’s works to the Arabic-speaking world. Bukowski’s poetry collection Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974) was also translated by Ziyad Abdollah in 2016 and published in Milan to avoid censorship. To achieve greater freedom of expression and broader dissemination without oppressive oversight, many Arab books have been published abroad in cities such as London, Paris, and Milan. Bukowski’s journey into the Arab world reflects the strategic efforts of publishers to navigate local restrictions. For example, Ham on Rye was published under a different and simplified title to avoid cultural and religious sensitivities related to pork. Such pragmatic changes demonstrate publishers’ deep understanding of the local cultural landscape and their intention to respect it while providing access to global literature. In the digital age, various websites dedicated to poetry—such as Jehat.com, run by Bahraini poet Kacem Haddad, and Adab.com—have made Bukowski’s poems accessible to Arab readers through educational platforms that transcend traditional publishing limits. These translations can be seen as acts of cultural and political activism. Key figures in these efforts include Khalid Al Maali, the founder of Manshourat Al-Jamal, an Iraqi poet living in exile since 1978. Al Maali has championed the publication of contemporary literature that challenges conventional norms and censorship. His dedication to offering a diverse and controversial catalog of literary works is evident in his publishing house’s history. While such efforts promote literary emancipation, several challenges remain. Economic difficulties have made books luxury items that not everyone can afford. Additionally, there is a notable lack of academic research on Bukowski’s work in the region’s universities, likely due to prevailing cultural conservatism and religious morality. The introduction and dissemination of Bukowski’s works in the Arab world reflect a broader narrative of cultural exchange and resistance. This cross-cultural literary dialogue not only enriches the Arabic literary corpus but also affirms the global resonance of Bukowski’s reflections on the human condition.

Keynote 1.

10The keynote speaker, Abel Debritto (Researcher and editor, Spain), presented rare findings from his research on Bukowski over the years in a talk titled “A Catalogue of Ordinary Madness: Navigating the Crazy Yet Mesmerizing Waters of the Bukowski Universe.” Debritto began by discussing Bukowski’s habit of attaching drawings and sketches to his writings when sending them to publishers. Over time, many of these drawings have been lost, but like his poetry and prose, drawing served as an important creative outlet for Bukowski. Painting also gave him immense pleasure as a hobby, but when John Martin entered the scene as Bukowski’s publisher, he had other plans. For a period, Bukowski agreed to create 50 to 200 paintings per book, which were sold at extravagant prices, but eventually, Bukowski decided to cease commercial production of his paintings and returned to painting solely for his own enjoyment. Debritto also revealed notebooks from the 1960s, predating Bukowski’s acquisition of a typewriter. Some of these handwritten poems were published, while others remained unpublished. Interestingly, Bukowski wrote many of these poems in all capital letters, a technique that helped him write more quickly. He would later type these poems before sending them to publishers. Another notebook from the 1980s, by which time Bukowski had become a prolific writer, contained a list of poems sent to various magazines, helping him keep track of his submissions. This habit contrasts with his claims in interviews, where he asserted that he never kept track of his work—a small example of Bukowski’s mythmaking tendencies. Furthermore, the keynote speaker presented a collection of poems omitted by Bukowski’s widow, Linda Lee, but later published by John Martin of Black Sparrow Press eight years after Bukowski’s death in a collection titled The Continual Condition. This work suffered from several repetitions. Other archival documents included an advertisement Bukowski placed in an underground newspaper seeking a two-bedroom apartment for his family. Another was a 1972 issue of the Los Angeles Free Press, which featured conflicting opinions about Bukowski’s work under the titles Con Bukowski and Pro Bukowski, reflecting divided reactions to the rawness and obscenity in his writing. In addition, Debritto uncovered lesser-known facts about Bukowski’s career, including his submission of Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions (1972) for a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Additionally, Bukowski received a $5,000 poetry grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, details he chose not to disclose publicly. Such findings reveal another side of his literary ambitions. Bukowski, known for his interest in horse racing, was also a fan of boxing, dedicating several poems to the sport, which complemented the tough-guy persona he cultivated. However, Debritto interviewed some of Bukowski’s female companions, who described him as a soft-hearted and sensitive person, very much unlike his gruff public persona. Another interesting decision Bukowski made was submitting poetry to softcore erotic magazines like Adam, Fling, and Hustler because these publications paid more than smaller presses, and Bukowski lacked a regular job to support himself. He also contributed to European magazines and appeared in High Times around twenty times. Debritto concluded by introducing his new book, A Catalog of Ordinary Madness (Chatwin Books, 2024), a bio-bibliography of Charles Bukowski that contains detailed bibliographical data on Bukowski’s published and unpublished works in multiple languages. The book also provides pre-publication facts, including notes on editors like John Martin and Robert DeMaria (of The Mediterranean Review). Debritto amusingly noted that Bukowski often resubmitted poems rejected in the U.S. to European magazines, which means that these works exist only in non-English languages.

Poetry Reading

11Following the keynote speech, participants visited an Anglophone bookstore in the center of Bordeaux, Bradley’s Bookshop. The first event at the bookstore was a poetry reading, where each attendee had the opportunity to recite a Bukowski poem of their choice. Dina Moinzadeh (Lycée Newton Enrea/Université Paris Nanterre) read an unpublished poem titled “Advice for Those Almost Unarmed Against the Constant Melancholy,” which she had discovered during her research at UC Santa Barbara. The poem deals with Bukowski’s poignant attempt to dissuade the reader from committing suicide. Friedrich Bahmer chose a poem titled “The Beauty of the Chimpanzee,” originally “A Threat to My Immortality,” which reflects Bukowski’s desire to immortalize himself alongside literary figures such as Hemingway and Céline. The poem also touches on his skin condition, portrayed through an awkward encounter with a woman he wanted to become intimate with. Roni (Bukowski Society) recited the well-known and touching poem “No Help for That.” Joan Gennij read her own poem, “The Contender,” inspired by Bukowski’s philosophy of life. Mike Sonksen (Woodbury University) began with a poem where each line started with a letter from Bukowski’s surname, and followed this with “The Geography of Bukowski,” a poem inspired by both Bukowski and Sonksen’s native Los Angeles, as a third-generation Angeleno.

Panel 3. Charles Bukowski’s Influence on Poets (Online)

12The third panel of the event took place at the bookstore, where William Mohr (California State University) discussed the poetry scene in California and Bukowski’s influence on it online from California. Mohr began by stating that just 30 years ago, there was little interest in writing and publishing on poetry in Los Angeles. However, over the past three decades, scholars like Kevin McNamara, Sophie Rachmuhl, and Dean J. Franco have increasingly focused on Los Angeles literature in their research and teaching. Mohr selected 20 figures to discuss in relation to Bukowski’s influence. He began with Edward Field, editor of A Geography of Poets: An Anthology of the New Poetry (1979), one of the first major anthologies to feature Bukowski as a leading poet. This anthology also included poets such as Jerry Laughlin and Ron Koertge, both of whom were influenced by Bukowski. Field’s own poetry collection, Stand Up, Friend, With Me (1963), launched an informal poetry movement called “stand-up poetry.” Although Bukowski noted in an interview that the poetry scene in Los Angeles in the 1970s was still in its infancy, he observed a “healthy stir” beginning to develop. Californian author and artist David E. James argued that Bukowski’s working-class diction had a significant impact on African American poet Wanda Coleman, whose works was also published by Black Sparrow Press. Coleman’s diction further pushed the boundaries previously explored by poets such as William Carlos Williams. Another poet associated with Bukowski was Harold Norse, who contributed to Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns, the literary magazine Bukowski edited for three issues. Neeli Cherkovsky, a writer influenced by Bukowski, even penned his biography, although this association later became a curse, as Cherkovsky’s own work was often overshadowed by Bukowski’s legacy. Jack Grapes, published by Outsider Magazine, also followed in Bukowski’s footsteps, as did Gerta Penfold, whose poetics closely aligned with Bukowski’s. To conclude his presentation, Mohr read Bukowski’s poem “The Soul of the Dead Animals.”

13After Mohr’s presentation, in his talk, “The Geography of Bukowski,” Mike Sonksen explored the urban landscape and poetic scene of Los Angeles through a tour of the city’s geography that influenced Bukowski’s writing. Sonksen began by discussing iconic locations such as Wilshire and Sunset Boulevard, and Cesar Chavez Avenue. Sunset Boulevard is frequently mentioned in Bukowski’s works, while Coronado Street in the Westlake district was another place that reignited his poetic inspiration. As Sonksen described it, the Westlake district, sandwiched between Koreatown and downtown LA, is now the largest Central American neighborhood outside of Central America. In the 1940s and 1950s, this area was home to numerous dive bars where Bukowski often drank. In some of his poems, Bukowski referred to the neon signs in the area, juxtaposed against the glamour of Hollywood’s entertainment industry. When Sonksen first began reading Bukowski’s poems, he was thrilled to recognize places from his own childhood, as Bukowski mapped out a different narrative of Los Angeles. Bukowski himself described his connection to LA by saying, “I’ve always had the geographical spiritual feeling of being here.” Union Station also appears frequently in his works, and Bukowski wrote about LA’s streetcars in Septuagenarian Stew (1990) and Ham on Rye. Once equipped with 1,100 miles of inter-urban rail (built by the Huntington family), Los Angeles was home to a public transit system almost as extensive as New York’s. Efforts are now underway to rebuild a new system based on this old infrastructure. Sonksen observed that in the 1990s, every aspiring poet in LA wanted to emulate Bukowski. Los Angeles Central Library was another significant location for Bukowski, and although he spent much of the 1940s and 1950s in the Westlake District, by the 1960s he had moved to East Hollywood, once a poor neighborhood that has now become quite expensive, bisected by the 101 freeway. Bukowski also briefly lived on Edgewater Terrace in Silver Lake; an area that has since become trendy. Sonksen noted that literary tours focusing on Bukowski, Raymond Chandler, and unsolved murders in Los Angeles are popular among tourists. For young poets seeking inspiration, Los Angeles offers a rich geography full of legends and opportunities for mentorship.

Movie Night and Debate at Utopia Movie Theater

14After the third panel of the first day, participants moved to Cinéma Utopia, an independent movie theater in downtown Bordeaux, to watch Bent Hamer’s Factotum (2005), based on Bukowski’s novel, and Inès Sedan’s short film adaptation of the poem “Love, He Said.” Following the screening, participants engaged in a discussion about the films’ aesthetics and how the filmmakers interpreted Bukowski’s writings. This discussion featured Inès Sedan and Anne-Marie Paquet-Deyris (Université Paris Nanterre).

Keynote 2

15The second day of the event began with an exhibition of rare photos of Bukowski, taken by Joan Gannij, and her keynote speech titled “Meeting Charles Bukowski” at the Rigoberta Menchú Library at Bordeaux Montaigne University. Gannij opened the exhibition by sharing stories from her photography sessions with Bukowski. She described the vibrant atmosphere of North Beach in the 1970s, a hub for poets and artists such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Neeli Cherkovsky, and Allen Ginsberg. Initially uninterested in Bukowski, Gannij’s perspective changed after their first face-to-face meeting at a reading. Bukowski grew emotional when he first saw the photos she had taken of him, a reaction that surprised her given his notoriously gruff persona. As her initial reservations faded, Gannij grew to appreciate Bukowski’s kindness and vulnerability. She captured rare photos of him working behind his typewriter, with glasses on, revealing a more introspective side that contrasted with his tough public image. Gannij even compared Bukowski to the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, a man whose bravado masked deep sensitivity and fear. Bukowski often expressed his disdain for inauthentic admirers, which led him to move to San Pedro for a quieter life. Gannij concluded by discussing the ethical dilemmas she faced regarding profiting from Bukowski’s images after his death, and reflected on the lasting impact he had on her life and work, particularly in how his values continue to guide her decisions. After this opening she shared anecdotes about the exhibited photos and her memories of the conversation she had with Bukowski during photo shoots.

Panel 4. Re-Reading Charles Bukowski

16After the exhibition, where attendees enjoyed rarely seen photographs taken by Joan Gannij, the fourth panel commenced at Jean Borde Hall at MSHB. The first speaker, Cécile Raas (University of Delaware), presented her research “When Animality Becomes an Expression of Humanity: Toward an Ecocritical Reading of Charles Bukowski’s Poetry.” She began by discussing the prevalence of animal figures in Bukowski’s work and their relationship to postmodernity and the redefinition of humanity. Raas argued against the notion that Bukowski’s poetry is anti-metaphorical and simplistic, highlighting instead the pervasive and structured use of animal imagery, particularly in the collection Love is a Dog from Hell. The animal figures in Bukowski’s writing challenge traditional definitions of life, representing the marginalized and oppressed while offering an alternative perspective on humanity. Raas analyzed the poem “Winter,” focusing on the tension between empathy for a suffering dog and societal constraints that inhibit full compassion. The poet’s relationship with animals also blurred the lines between creature and creator, with the dog becoming an alter ego embodying trait associated with Bukowski’s poetic persona. Raas noted the wordplay between “dog” and “god,” suggesting a metaphorical network that links the canine to the divine, allowing the dog to exist across earthly, celestial, and infernal realms. She also referenced Barbet Schroeder’s film Barfly (1987) and the animated series Bojack Horseman (Netflix, 2014) as examples of Bukowski’s impact on the creation of anthropomorphic characters, particularly in Bojack’s resemblance to Bukowski. Raas concluded by suggesting that Bukowski’s use of animalistic representations as an escape from human suffering contributed significantly to the authenticity of his poetry. This critical anthropomorphism celebrated the sensory richness and alternative perspectives that an animal’s organic vitality could provide, contrasting with the mechanization of modern society.

17The second speaker, Grégory Dulieu, an anarchist poet from France, discussed the works of John Fante and Bukowski. He began by recounting his first impression of Bukowski after seeing him on the French TV show Apostrophes, noting how the portrayal of Bukowski as an alcoholic on the show led to a misleading public image. Dulieu shared his personal journey through Bukowski’s texts, comparing his honesty to that of Dostoevsky. He argued that Bukowski’s authentic voice resonated with readers, encouraging them to follow their own creative instincts. Dulieu also reflected on his charity work with homeless populations and discussed Bukowski’s unembellished depictions of poverty and social inequality, which mirrored his own struggles with hardship. Regarding film adaptations of Bukowski’s works, Dulieu expressed disappointment, finding that films fail to capture Bukowski’s unique literary style. In comparing Fante and Bukowski’s legacies, Dulieu highlighted their shared themes of poverty, life as authors in Los Angeles, and complex relationships with alcohol and women. His presentation concluded with a vignette featuring characters and plots reminiscent of Bukowski’s style, humor, and social commentary.

18The final speaker of the panel, Laurent Robert (Haute École en Hainaut, Belgium), discussed Bukowski’s literary legacy in France and beyond, focusing on his persona in poetry. Robert highlighted three examples. First, he examined Tristan Sautier’s Ode for laughter to Charles Bukowski (2003), which serves as a complex intertextual play, referencing both Paul Claudel’s Cinq Grandes Odes (1911) and subversive figures like Jim Morrison and Arthur Rimbaud. Although Sautier takes a serious approach to poetry, his ode celebrates Bukowski’s rebellious spirit, portraying him as a modern-day Verlaine. The second example was Gaël Fontlu’s poem “Buck,” which reimagines Bukowski’s persona from a female perspective. Fontlu’s poem explores themes of jealousy, love, and violent relationships, offering a contemporary take on Bukowski’s myth. The third example Robert discussed was Le Manque’s song “Cynthia Bukowski,” a fantasy narrative centered on a woman emerging from one of Bukowski’s books. The song draws primarily from Bukowski’s writings on love, sex, and relationships, rather than the public image he had cultivated. Robert concluded by arguing that immersing oneself in Bukowski’s life through different literary forms offers a deeper understanding of the essence of his creative inspiration. As part of his ongoing project, Robert is currently writing an octosyllabic verse poem about Bukowski’s art and life. The deliberate choice of a traditional poetic form aims to juxtapose Bukowski’s gritty realism with an archaic style.

Roundtable

19The roundtable titled “Charles Bukowski, a Reader’s Experience” featured Sophie Rachmuhl (Université Bordeaux Montaigne), Dina Moinzadeh (Lycée Newton Enrea/Université Paris Nanterre), and Grégory Dulieu (poet) as readers. They aimed to share their experiences reading and working on Bukowski’s texts. Rachmuhl’s interest in Bukowski was sparked by reading Factotum (1975) in 1984, leading her to write her Master’s thesis on unrealism in Bukowski’s short stories. She later created a short documentary on the Los Angeles poetry scene, focusing particularly on Bukowski, titled 10 LA Poets Interescapes. After returning to France, Rachmuhl continued her work on the LA poetry scene for her PhD thesis. Moinzadeh shared her challenges in conducting academic research on a poet who did not favor literary analysis or criticism. She felt marginalized in both the academic world and the community of Bukowski fans due to her research subject. Moinzadeh’s work emphasized the physicality and immediacy of Bukowski’s poetry and his poetics of presence, as his poems had a grounding effect on her. She noted that the intertwining of life and art in Bukowski’s writing eventually permeates one’s research and life. Access to unpublished manuscripts at UC Santa Barbara was the most rewarding aspect of her research, allowing her to explore multiple facets of Bukowski’s poetics. Amélie Macaud also shared her experience researching Bukowski, noting how natural it felt to read Post Office in a single day. This experience clarified her research path, even though her Master’s thesis focused on an entirely different genre and period in American literature. Her PhD thesis primarily concentrated on the paratextual features of Bukowski’s works. One attendee, Grégory Clauzon, shared his experience of reading Bukowski for the first time as a 14-year-old. He felt overwhelmed by the brutality of Bukowski’s writings, finding thematic parallels with thrash metal, rock, and punk music lyrics. He argued that the countercultural and subversive qualities of Bukowski’s works contribute to his popularity across various cultures. For Dulieu, Bukowski represented the essence of anarchism—an absence of dogma. He appreciated Bukowski’s critiques of the mundane routines many endure in their professional lives, which provoked readers to reconsider their definitions of success and achievement.

Panel 5. The Reception of Charles Bukowski

20During the fifth panel, Roni began his second presentation “Charles Bukowski Online” by discussing Bukowski’s readership online. One of the largest forums dedicated to Bukowski was unfortunately shut down in 2020 at the founder’s discretion. Although the forum reopened under new administration in 2022, participation has remained static compared to its earlier days. Roni traced the website’s development over the years, showcasing early archives, artworks, and FBI files related to Bukowski. These files provided insight into his arrests for public intoxication, as well as details about his addresses and jobs that illuminated aspects of his personal life. Additionally, the database of Bukowski’s works was meticulously categorized by book, magazine, year, or keyword, documenting his bibliography comprehensively. A chronological timeline of Bukowski’s life integrated personal events, publications, address changes, readings, and occupations, along with contextual information about Los Angeles. Another interesting section of the forum, titled “Name That Poem,” allowed readers to collaborate in identifying the titles of their favorite poems, demonstrating the deep knowledge and sincere dedication of Bukowski fans. Scholars like keynote speaker Abel Debritto and David S. Calnne, who participated in the event, were among these readers who utilized the forum to disseminate new findings on Bukowski’s works. Another section, “Dispelling Bukowski Myths,” illustrated the readership’s commitment to circulating accurate information and challenging prevailing misconceptions about Bukowski. Roni expressed his regret over the forum’s closure, emphasizing its value as a resource for readers seeking to uncover obscure Bukowski poems and prose published in various magazines and lesser-known sources.

21The second speaker of the fifth panel, Pauline Guedj (Université Lumière Lyon 2), discussed Bukowski’s readership and appropriation in France. In her interviews with self-identified Bukowski fans, Guedj, echoing Moinzadeh’s observations, found that many viewed his works as grounding and therapeutic. She identified three key themes emerging from these interviews: marginality, sincerity, and humanity. Terms associated with the marginality of Bukowski’s work, similar to Clauzon’s experiences as a reader, included underground, alternative, punk, and rock and roll. One French reader recounted his experience watching Bukowski on Apostrophes, the French literary television show, noting Bukowski’s provocative rejection of traditional French literature, which resonated with young French readers. Through Bukowski, many of these readers discovered other marginal writers, such as John Fante and Henry Miller. Bukowski’s works often spoke to them during their complex adolescent years; they found him a kindred spirit who articulated their feelings as outsiders unwilling to conform to societal expectations. The deeply emotional and sincere tone in Bukowski’s writings resonated with readers, who described his work as visceral, raw, and close to the skin, capturing the vulnerabilities that all humans feel on the margins. The interviewees appreciated peeling back the rough exterior he presented through his poems to reveal his vulnerability and honesty, allowing him to express a full range of emotions, including those considered taboo or shameful. They interpreted the misogyny and sexism in his works as provocations that shielded his genuine sensitivity, unraveling insecurities common to the human experience. Regarding the concept of humanity, readers found Bukowski’s universal messages about the human condition in modern life depicted a clear image of his subversion against social norms on a global scale. His writings served as a source of comfort and encouragement to embrace individuality and reflect on their selfhood. Guedj concluded her findings by emphasizing that this is only the preliminary stage of a broader research project that aims to explore the nuances of these three primary themes and their implications for literary interpretation and fan culture.

22The last speaker on this panel, William Marling (Case Western Reserve University), examined the influence of European avant-garde painting on Bukowski’s visual arts. While Bukowski’s drawings have often been dismissed as mere scribbles by a “dirty old man,” Marling argued otherwise. At the time, two schools dominated the visual arts scene in California: the figurative and photo-realist movements, typified by Ed Ruscha and Wayne Thiebaud, and the abstract expressionist movement, represented by Richard Diebenkorn whose work lacked action and complexity. Bukowski was influenced by European artists like Henri Matisse, who also inspired North Californian artist, Henry Miller. Additionally, the Los Angeles pop culture Bukowski grew up with, including works by Judy Chicago and Edward Kienholz, as well as landmarks like Watts Towers, did not appeal to Bukowski. In Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969), Bukowski mentions that a girlfriend named Barbara persuaded him to take art lessons, which he disliked, though the instructor appreciated his hastily done drawings. Marling’s thesis posited that Bukowski’s art was influenced by European sources passed through four filters unique to Bukowski: simplification, a focus on the outsider, an antithetical mode, and gestural colors that conformed to the genre of line art in black and white. He also noted the influence of Harold Norse, whose abstract expressionism was explosive in nature. Bukowski frequently revisited certain subjects in his drawings, such as smoke, bottles, plants, and animals, and often employed narrative suggestions. Typically, he placed his subjects on the left side of the drawing, facing right, emphasizing large features like a prominent nose or ear, which are believed to render his own image. In his intimate works on sexuality, the female subjects are usually more detailed than the male subjects and almost always depicted on the left. In domestic scenes, however, women are placed on the right side. In a poem titled “Working Out,” written in 1984, Bukowski praises Van Gogh, who had a biographical appeal to him. Both artists shared a similar attention to detail in their works, utilizing heavy impasto strokes and a focus on self-portraits. For Bukowski, color served as a medium of anguish and self-doubt, rarely representing sexuality or humor. Marling noted that Bukowski often combined pure colors with line art and was particularly influenced by Edgar Degas, especially in his depictions of working women—a theme also explored by Paul Gavarni in the 1870s. Bukowski sometimes added color to his line art to emphasize emotional experiences that could not be conveyed through lines alone. Marling concluded that, much like his taste in music, Bukowski preferred European movements in visual arts, and his works merit profound artistic research.

23The event finally ended with a brief discussion between the organizers and participants to address any unanswered questions from the audience regarding resources and Bukowski’s works.

Haut de page

Pour citer cet article

Référence électronique

Sahar Kheirandish, « International Conference: “Reading, Readings, Loving Charles Bukowski: An Invitation to a Subjective Reading (1920-1994)” »Transatlantica [En ligne], 2 | 2024, mis en ligne le 01 décembre 2024, consulté le 09 février 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/24277 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/134h2

Haut de page

Auteur

Sahar Kheirandish

Université Bordeaux Montaigne, CLIMAS

Haut de page

Droits d’auteur

CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

Haut de page
Search OpenEdition Search

You will be redirected to OpenEdition Search