A lot of people wonder, "Where am I?" It's a good question in general, but specifically, right now, you are on the doorstep of the world's premiere Charles Bukowski web site. You are probably here to see manuscripts or search for a poem or story. Maybe you are here to find spiritual enlightenment. We have that too. For a price.
It could very well be that you don't know
why you're here. That happens quite a bit. You heard a song or read a reference somewhere or saw a dance recital where some teenaged girls were interpreting a Bukowski work and you wondered, "Who could have inspired such a gripping work of art?"
His name was Charles Bukowski. American author, prolific poet, short story writer and novelist. He was born on August 16, 1920, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but he died on March 9, 1994.
6,533
days ago. That's a lot of days, isn't it? If you wanted to write him a fan letter, you're too late.
You've heard of his novel
Women, and probably
Post Office. But you have some catching up to do. Read
Ham On Rye,
Factotum and
Hollywood, then dive in to the short story collections like
South Of No North and
Hot Water Music. If you still haven't had enough, start reading the poetry. Look at the left side of this page. See that link that says "Checklist"? That's a list of every Bukowski book. Print it out and put it under your pillow.
If you have questions you can always ask them in the forum. We love answering questions and we love you too. As a person. Very much. While you're here, look at the other links and get swept up in the glory and majesty that is bukowski.net. The comprehensive, searchable poem and short story database is the result of years of research, and the only one of its kind in the world.
TIME Magazine called it "Perhaps the greatest single thing on the Internet today," and on his first day in office, United States President Barack Obama mandated that it be permanently bookmarked on all White House computers.
Speaking of government computers, you can also read the entire FBI file that was compiled on Bukowski, along with an incredible timeline of his life, dozens of examples of art that he made (paintings, drawings and fluxus installations), photos of Mr. Bukowski, a map showing where he lived so you can go bother the people who live there now and some other things that I've forgotten were even here.
It's ripe for exploring, this site, and if you want to know anything at all about Bukowski, this is the best place to find it. Don't take
TIME Magazine's word for it, just look at what others had to say:
"I wept with joy and now highly recommend this site to everyone seeking the truth."
- Oprah Winfrey
"Seldom does one come across something that is as awe-inspiring and downright hopeful as the bukowski.net web site. God bless its creators and God bless America!"
- Nelson Mandela
"I am going to close my web sites down, they embarrass me after seeing bukowski.net."
- Mark Zuckerberg
"I get all of my ideas from transvestite prostitutes and bukowski.net."
- Lady Gaga
"
You never even
met Hank, and
he wouldn't have been your friend!"
- Linda Bukowski
"I think I just wet my pants...yep. Sure did! I gotta Tweet this!"
- Ashton Kutcher
The accolades go on and on, but we are not here to thump our chests and piss on the competition. No. We are here to elevate and inform, to make your life better, your teeth whiter, and your abs as hard as carbon nanotubes. We are here to make giants of mere mortals, and elevate man to the level of the gods.
Enter. Your questions will be answered, your fears allayed. You will be made to feel normal, even though all indications are that you are not normal at all. Why else would you be here?
