Linda Bukowski donates books & manuscripts to Huntington Library

[mronkain]

I just noticed this in alt.books.bukowski:

Huntington Library Gets Bukowski Archive

The iconic author's widow donates a large cache of his books and
manuscripts to the San Marino institution.

By Larry Gordon, Times Staff Writer

It is an unlikely literary marriage: Charles Bukowski, the chronicler
of a hard-drinking, womanizing, bar-brawling life in L.A.'s underbelly,
with the Huntington Library, the genteel San Marino repository of
Chaucer and Dickens.

But that's the match that Bukowski's widow made Wednesday with her
announced donation to the Huntington of his literary archive, a very
large and valuable cache of books, manuscripts and fan letters replete
with photos of less-than-fully-dressed females.
"It's going to be scandalous. This would tickle my husband. It would
crack him up," Linda Lee Bukowski said from her San Pedro home, where
curators have been sorting through more than a thousand items. Those
include a typed draft of his 1982 novel "Ham on Rye," with handwritten
corrections; his screenplay for the 1987 autobiographical movie
"Barfly;" rare poetry journals from the 1940s; and scratch forms for
horse races at Santa Anita.

Huntington officials are thrilled to have all that material and more,
some of it peppered with sex, violence and alcohol abuse, from the poet
and novelist who emerged late in life from L.A.'s underground to become
an internationally renowned author and an iconic cultural figure.
Bukowski died of leukemia at age 73 in 1994.

"Bukowski pushes the envelope a little for us. And I love that," said
Sue Hodson, the Huntington's curator of literary manuscripts, who
stressed that the library is shedding its former reputation as a "very
formal and somewhat stodgy place."

She said acquiring the Bukowski archive makes sense at the Huntington
because "we collect the very best in American and British literature,"
including such other 20th century authors as Christopher Isherwood and
Jack London.

At points during his life, Bukowski sold off some papers and letters to
libraries such as UC Santa Barbara and the University of Arizona, his
longtime editor, John Martin, founder of the Black Sparrow Press, said
Wednesday from his Santa Rosa office. But the Huntington's new
acquisition is the most important of any Bukowski collection and helps
confirm his reputation as "the 20th century Walt Whitman," Martin said.

Experts expressed astonishment and gratitude to Linda Lee Bukowski, who
they estimated could have sold the collection for more than $1 million.
Hodson described it as "enormously valuable," but she and Bukowski
declined to speculate on its specific worth because no full appraisal
has been done.

At a March auction in San Francisco, an autographed first edition of
Bukowski's 1960 poetry collection "Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail" sold
for $9,775, the highest price of the day and more than for works by
Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

Although other institutions pursued the collection, Bukowski said she
initiated talks with the Huntington because she is a frequent and
enthusiastic visitor there. "Some people look at me like I'm nuts for
not selling," she said. But donating instead, she said, "has given me a
great deal of joy."

Born in Germany to a German mother and an American soldier father,
Henry Charles Bukowski (his wife still refers to him as "Hank") moved
to the United States as a toddler and had a tough childhood in
Baltimore and in the Los Angeles area. His face was scarred with boils,
and he was badly bullied in school. He turned to drinking as a
teenager, and his early hardscrabble life and romantic misadventures
informed much of his early writings.

Starting in the mid-'60s, his partnership with Martin's Black Sparrow
Press allowed him to write full time and brought him increasing
acclaim. His published works of fiction, poetry and short story
collections include "Post Office," "Septuagenarian Stew," "Notes of a
Dirty Old Man," "Women" and "Factotum," which has been made into a film
starring Matt Dillon and is scheduled for an August release.

One of the oldest items donated is a 1946 edition of a mimeographed
literary journal called "Matrix," signed by Bukowski and containing
both a short story and a poem of his, Hodson said. The poem, "Soft and
Fat Like Summer Roses," begins: "Rex was a two-fisted man, Who drank
like a fish, And looked like a purple gargoyle."

S. A. Griffin, a Bukowski collector and expert in Los Angeles, said the
Huntington is a perfect home for a writer who is sometimes stereotyped
only for his drinking and brawling.

"I think it legitimizes his work and the impact of his work on people
around the world," Griffin said. And, he added, "it's just down the
road from Santa Anita."

LA TIMES, JUNE 15th, 2006

[Reverend Yah]

Amazing...she could've cleaned up but that show's a lot of class...and she's right,it would've cracked him up.

[Rekrab]

Excellent. The Huntington was always such a snooty place when I went there in the 60s and 70s. Hank will give it some much needed fresh air. They ought to display those fan photos; that alone would bring in the crowds. "Mommy, I want to be a poet when I grow up!" "Don't look, Jimmy!" Great decision by Linda.

David

[cirerita]

very innaresting. thanks for sharing it here.

[Reverend Yah]

Originally Posted by Rekrab

Excellent. The Huntington was always such a snooty place when I went there in the 60s and 70s. Hank will give it some much needed fresh air. They ought to display those fan photos; that alone would bring in the crowds. "Mommy, I want to be a poet when I grow up!" "Don't look, Jimmy!" Great decision by Linda.

David

LMAO.
"Mommy....what's a whore?"

[mjp]

That is indeed an interesting move.

Original article here (but text is same as above):
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...ck=1&cset=true

Also in latimes.com a story about John Thomas' death in custody in 2002 (I didn't know he was in for fooling around with his daughter - gah):
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...ck=1&cset=true

Looks like you get to see one article for free, then they bug you for a login. I just opened a different browser and was able to see both.

[cirerita]

could you post the second one here? I have to sign up even for the first one...

[mjp]

Hmm, I can't access it either now. I might still have the page open on my computer at home, I'll check later.

[skbruce]

Here's the article on John Thomas:

Death of Poet in Jail Draws Suit, Attention to Inmate Medical Care

Widow of John Thomas alleges shortcomings in policies and training at L.A. County lockups.

By Kelly-Anne Suarez, Times Staff Writer

May 20, 2006

An obscure Beat-era poet who died in custody in 2002 has become the subject of a lawsuit that could affect the way ailing Los Angeles County prisoners are treated.

John Thomas, 71 and obese, died less than three weeks into a term at the L.A. County Jail. He spent part of his last night gasping for air on the floor of his cell. Thomas had been sentenced after pleading no contest to a charge of oral copulation in an incident that occurred decades ago; the victim was his teenage daughter.

Philomene Long, Thomas' wife, sued the county alleging wrongful death and seeking unspecified damages for loss of companionship. She argued that her husband suffered cruel and unusual punishment while in custody.

"This case should send a signal to the county: If they don't invest in better medical care up front, they're going to be paying more later as a result of jury settlements," said ACLU attorney Ben Wizner, who blamed insufficient medical staff at the jail.

Thomas' treatment was not atypical, he said.

About 80% of inmate complaints the ACLU of Southern California handles deal with access to medical care and medication, said Jody Kent, coordinator of the ACLU's Jails Project.

The county maintained that Thomas received adequate care, including addressing specific needs such as a low-sodium diet, and said the government can't be held responsible for judgment calls made by doctors and nurses.

A federal district court judge granted the county's request to dismiss the lawsuit, saying there was not enough evidence to hold county policy responsible. Long appealed, and in late March the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with her, returning the case to District Court for trial. No date has been set.

In the appellate court decision, Justice Claudia Wilken said the court "consistently has found that a county's lack of affirmative policies or procedures to guide employees can amount to deliberate indifference," which violates the U.S. Constitution.

Long alleged that insufficient policies and a failure to train jail medical staff contributed to her husband's death. She also sued two jail doctors, alleging malpractice.

Long, whose lawyer advised her not to comment, did say she sued in hopes that others would not suffer.

Thomas' work, such as the L.A.-inspired prose poem "From Patagonia," earned him respect in West Coast literary circles. Poet Charles Bukowski called his friend "the best unread poet in America."

As part of the Beat generation, Thomas renounced traditional societal trappings and mores. He once told The Times: "I have Philomene, a pen, a pad, shirt and pants. If you start wanting more, it fills you up, leading to a poverty of the heart and mind."

In 1970, his teenage daughter Susan Idlet visited him in Echo Park — a reunion after many years. Idlet said that soon after her arrival she and her father took psychedelic drugs and engaged in oral sex.

Almost 30 years later, she and her half-sister Gabrielle confronted their father about that summer. Gabrielle said, when he showed no remorse, they decided to take legal action.

Idlet, now 50, soon filed a police report. At his sentencing, she read a statement to the judge that said in part: "Sexual abuse is not an art form."

Thomas' lawyer, Jeffrey Douglas, said he appealed, arguing that the prosecution was unconstitutional — coming during a brief time when the U.S. Supreme Court was debating the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases. Thomas died while the appeal was pending.

Before Thomas went to jail, Douglas submitted a letter outlining his client's medical needs. The poet suffered from congestive heart failure, depression and hypertension. He weighed more than 350 pounds.

On March 13, 2002, two days after reporting to jail, Thomas was admitted to the correctional treatment center at Twin Towers Jail, court records show.

While there, nurses documented swollen legs, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, an enlarged and hardened abdomen, brown urine and crackles in his lungs. But doctor visits were rare, according to court papers. When Thomas was offered and refused oxygen, a nurse gave him a liability waiver, which he signed.

On the night of March 28, staff found him on the floor. After three people unsuccessfully tried lifting him back into bed, a doctor, without seeing him, ordered that Thomas be moved onto a thin mattress pad — farther than an arm's length from a call button. Shortly after midnight, he was transferred to a hospital, where he died that afternoon.

[bospress.net]

Hi,
I had read this about John Thomas a couple years ago. Very sad. I will reserve any other comments....

Thinking about this leaves me with a sick feeling....

Bill

[bospress.net]

Hi ,
As far as the Buk donation, I say "Hat's off to Linda". Hopefully that will show those few that think that she is money hungry. Clearly she just truly cares about preserving her late husband's memory for all time. Many of these items, specifically things like the typescript for WOMEN were deteriorating due to the high acidity in the paper and the cardboard box that they were stored in. Without professional help, this substantial collection would have been lost. Linda could have sold the collection. My UNEDUCATED guess is that she would have made millions. Instead she donated it all so that WE could someday go there and see these great things.


All of these items will now be cataloged and PRESERVED. In 500 years, Buk fans will be able to see these things and do research with them....

Bill

[zoom man]

Originally Posted by bospress.net

Hi ,
As far as the Buk donation, I say "Hat's off to Linda."
All of these items will now be cataloged and PRESERVED. In 500 years, Buk fans will be able to see these things and do research with them....
Bill

Yeah, definetly Salut! to Linda,
But 500 years from now?,
I don't give us (thanks to our world leaders)
That long

[bospress.net]

True, but I would rather have researchers in 2000 years run across any of Buk's writing before they read The new Ann Coulter book.... At least they would THINK that, as a human race, we were not sick, disgusting pigs.....

Bill

[chronic]

Originally Posted by bospress.net

At least they would THINK that, as a human race, we were not sick, disgusting pigs.....

...Unless they happened to start off with "The Copulating Mermaid of Venice Beach."

[SamDusky]

Originally Posted by chronic

...Unless they happened to start off with "The Copulating Mermaid of Venice Beach."

My Bro, I seeeeee what you're saying, but Buk, even at his disgusting-est, has a ways to go to consider himself in the league of Ms Coulter (as much as I?d like to turn her over, give a tug at her Victoria Secrets; and proceed to perpetrate all manner of right-wing conspiracies on her lovely physicalness (mjp, if this is too graphic [don?t want to disturb anyone?s delicate sensibilities], feel free to edit appropriately; as you know, I'm restraining myself); of course, she turns me on as much as she repulses me with her politics, but I guess a girl?s got to make a living, so she can keep herself in hair-rinse, etc.; someday, when she gets the right man (or the left man), she may wake up and see that the right is wrong, most of the time (that?s as sexist as I can get; better quit while I?m a head.).

SD

[ClassIntellectual]

Originally Posted by SamDusky

Ms Coulter (as much as I?d like to turn her over, give a tug at her Victoria Secrets; and proceed to perpetrate all manner of right-wing conspiracies on her lovely physicalness (mjp, if this is too graphic [don?t want to disturb anyone?s delicate sensibilities], feel free to edit appropriately; as you know, I'm restraining myself); of course, she turns me on as much as she repulses me with her politics, but I guess a girl?s got to make a living, so she can keep herself in hair-rinse, etc.; SD

http://www.strangepolitics.com/images/content/4145.jpg
I wonder what Buk would write about her...

[hoochmonkey9]

Originally Posted by ClassIntellectual

I wonder what Buk would write about her...

well, she does have Buk's favourite feature...legs.

[Rekrab]

Originally Posted by bospress.net

Hi,
I had read this about John Thomas a couple years ago. Very sad. ...

Thinking about this leaves me with a sick feeling....

Bill

Ditto for me. I wasn't terribly surprised when I read this about John Thomas a couple years ago. I met the man once, and wasn't favorably impressed. Wrote about that elsewhere (my SPIT book) and won't repeat it here. If true, it's tragic. If false, it's still tragic. A sad sorry ending to a life.

[Rekrab]

Back to the Huntington Bukowski papers gift topic: the more I think about it, this really is hugely significant. It elevates Bukowski to the status of being an undenied major America author, a classic. We always knew he was, but now the establishment has given him the golden seal of approval. His books will probably sell like freaking crazy now. Outsider no more?

David

[zoom man]

Originally Posted by Rekrab

the more I think about it, this really is hugely significant. It elevates Bukowski to the status of being an undenied major America author, a classic. We always knew he was, but now the establishment has given him the golden seal of approval. His books will probably sell like freaking crazy now. Outsider no more?David

That was my first impression too...
This is going to popularize our good man more than Sean Penn did!
Honest, the 20th century's Walt Whitman!, Christ....

then I tipped my hat to Linda.
How cool of a move was that?!?!
Really,
Think about it,
Would you have done the same?
And I think she's right too,
Buk would have loved the irony of the gesture.

Outsider no more?
Excellent question (worthy of a new thread)

[Rekrab]

Originally Posted by zoom man

then I tipped my hat to Linda.
How cool of a move was that?!?!
Really,
Think about it,
Would you have done the same?
And I think she's right too,
Buk would have loved the irony of the gesture.

Outsider no more?
Excellent question (worthy of a new thread)

It may have been an excellent move financially, all glory and irony aside. As for his no longer being an outsider, I don't mean that as a dig, to imply he's a sell-out (posthumously) -- rather, it's a case of him no longer being excluded from the party. This is a wonderful, unexpected development.

David

[Erik]

I see from the press release (http://www.huntington.org/Information/news/Bukowski.pdf) that an event called "Celebrating Bukowski" will be held at the Huntington on September 20th. Any of you locals plan on going? How about taking some pics for the forum while you're at it?

[mjp]

I was thinking of going since I work about a mile from there (a stone's throw in Los Angeles terms), but the more I think about it, it will probably be a lame and pointless event. I doubt the archive will be available, since they just got the stuff and have to catalogue it or whatever it is they do.

What will probably happen is some people will make speeches and some people will read some Bukowski stuff and most of them will get it all wrong, Linda will speak, champagne will be drunk, and everyone will be home in bed by 9:30.

Or something.

[Rekrab]

Originally Posted by mjp

What will probably happen is some people will make speeches and some people will read some Bukowski stuff and most of them will get it all wrong, Linda will speak, champagne will be drunk, and everyone will be home in bed by 9:30.

Around here (sleepy little city in the Northwest), that would be a major cultural event. I'd be all over that.

David

[bospress.net]

Hi mjp,
Of course, you could go and pick up a BUNCH of the programs that they will probably have and spread them around...

ahhh..

Bill

[Erik]

Originally Posted by mjp

What will probably happen is some people will make speeches and some people will read some Bukowski stuff and most of them will get it all wrong, Linda will speak, champagne will be drunk, and everyone will be home in bed by 9:30.

Almost sounds like a remake of the French Apostrophe episode - without the Buk stumbling out disgusted & drunk.

By the way: You live a mile from the Huntington? Sounds like a pretty posh neighbourhood!
(Got a new car yet? Loved your story about public transport on smognet. Imagine a city the size of LA with bad public transport. Strange - to say the least...)

[mjp]

No, not live, work. I work in Pasadena and live in San Pedro. I couldn't afford to live around the job. I can barely afford Pedro (that's PEEdro if you want to sound like a local, not PAYdro).

Bill, that might just be a reason to go. I'll have to see how that day plays out...

No new car yet either, Erik. Funny you should ask, since the Trooper broke down AGAIN yesterday on the way home, on the freeway near Dodger stadium.

[hoochmonkey9]

here's a story about the donation to the Huntington from the Pasadena Weekly

[roni]

thanks hooch.

anybody informed how far they are with the transfere and cataloging of that stuff?

[mjp]

"The Huntington does not allow just anyone from the public to access their research collections. Researchers who do not already have a Ph.D. must formally apply for reader privileges, which include providing two references. Once accepted, readers view materials in a specially monitored reading room where bags and pens are prohibited."

Sweet.