Betting on the Muse is a combination of hilarious poetry and stories. Charles Bukowski writes about the real life of a working man and all that comes with it.
Betting on the Muse
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Amazon.com Review
A perfect accompaniment to Bukowski's letters, this collection of BOTH stories and poems gives you more bang for the buck -- a whopping 402 pages of Bukowski's unique voice. He can spin you a yarn with his story or poem just like he's sitting there having a beer with you. A classic American writer who'll bet his bottom dollar on the working stiff and the tough times -- his Muses -- using the language of a true visionary. If you haven't read Bukowski, isn't it time you started?
From Booklist
Virtually everything Black Sparrow publishes is worthwhile, but without Bukowski, whose 40-odd books kept Black Sparrow's bread buttered right up until his death in 1994, none of the rest of it would be possible. Fortunately, "Buk" left plenty of unpublished manuscript behind that, judging from this culling from it, is of a piece with the published stuff. That is, it consists of quasi-autobiographical poems and stories. The poems' lines are only one to six words long, and the stories' sentences aren't much longer. Poems and stories relay the adventures and attitudes, at all stages of his life, of loafer and lumpen intellectual Henry Chinaski. They are occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, occasionally laughable because Henry and his women and pals are such a bunch of slobs, and occasionally as boring as Henry and company claim their lives are. And, to tell the truth, they are effortlessly, magnetically readable, especially if you are susceptible to their bargain-basement existentialist charm. Plenty are. Ray Olson
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany, and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for fifty years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was twenty-four, and began writing poetry at the age of thirty-five. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of seventy-three, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp (1994).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Kirk Alex
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been reading Bukowski for 25 years now--and I can honestly say this is not very good here at all. Maybe 5 to 10 percent has merit and is worth reading--and the rest? Babble, gibberish, flat. Mind you, this is not easy for a Buk fan to admit--but the way it is. I bought it cheap so I don't really regret getting it. But if you're looking for great writing, great poetry you won't find it here.
If you're looking for excellent Buk prose try Notes of a Dirty Old Man, Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness (broken down into two volumes and titled something else, from City Lights) Factotum, South of No North--even Hollywood. Living On Luck worked for me as well, so did Screams From the Balcony (letter collections, etc.) As far as his poetry? As someone else stated: the early or middle stuff. Septuagenerian Stew (stories and poems) isn't very good either. Could be one reason why Martin decided to sell the store.
If you're looking for excellent Buk prose try Notes of a Dirty Old Man, Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness (broken down into two volumes and titled something else, from City Lights) Factotum, South of No North--even Hollywood. Living On Luck worked for me as well, so did Screams From the Balcony (letter collections, etc.) As far as his poetry? As someone else stated: the early or middle stuff. Septuagenerian Stew (stories and poems) isn't very good either. Could be one reason why Martin decided to sell the store.
The problem with Buk's later stuff is just this, I believe, he liked to say that writing was too easy for him, that there was nothing to it--and that what he produced was all good stuff. Well, as any writer knows, if it's that easy and you think everything you write is terrific, it very often means just the opposite.
I believe his publisher continued to publish the Buk's stuff because he was THE BUK, and we understand that.
My conclusion regarding Bukowski's work is just this: a third of his output is truly great and original, a third is fair--and the rest is blatantly bad, just too awaful to have any meaning or worth reading.
... Read more ›5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Charles Bukowski, Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories (Black Sparrow, 1996)
The general rule of thumb is that Bukowki's posthumously-published works are of lesser quality than those published during his lifetime. So far, I have come across two exceptions to this rule. One is The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship, a wonderful book of journal-like observations and such. The second, in parts anyway, is Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories.
Much of the poetry in the book seems as if it was written in the fifties and sixties, during the peak years of Buk's quality output (though there are some of the later "I couldn't care less what it's about" poems scattered throughout). Much of it may well have been. Some, however, bears timestamps in the work that show them as having been written early in the nineties; makes me wonder what Buk might have come up with had he lived a few more years.
The final selection of poems (I divided the book up in my head while reading into sections, each bounded with short stories) is a series of meditations on death. Not Buk's normal death writing, which always had some fierce spark of hope in it, but writing that made it clear he knew he was facing his own demise. With the exception of the amazing "Last Call," which is roughly halfway through the book, this final selection is perhaps Buk's best work since Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame back in 1973. The process of "observe and write with as little translation is possible" is abandoned, and the work shows that either Buk revised these poems, or turned them over in his head a lot more before putting them down on paper. It shows.... Read more ›
The general rule of thumb is that Bukowki's posthumously-published works are of lesser quality than those published during his lifetime. So far, I have come across two exceptions to this rule. One is The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship, a wonderful book of journal-like observations and such. The second, in parts anyway, is Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories.
Much of the poetry in the book seems as if it was written in the fifties and sixties, during the peak years of Buk's quality output (though there are some of the later "I couldn't care less what it's about" poems scattered throughout). Much of it may well have been. Some, however, bears timestamps in the work that show them as having been written early in the nineties; makes me wonder what Buk might have come up with had he lived a few more years.
The final selection of poems (I divided the book up in my head while reading into sections, each bounded with short stories) is a series of meditations on death. Not Buk's normal death writing, which always had some fierce spark of hope in it, but writing that made it clear he knew he was facing his own demise. With the exception of the amazing "Last Call," which is roughly halfway through the book, this final selection is perhaps Buk's best work since Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame back in 1973. The process of "observe and write with as little translation is possible" is abandoned, and the work shows that either Buk revised these poems, or turned them over in his head a lot more before putting them down on paper. It shows.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By "jumpyclown"
Format:Paperback
I have to confess i'm not a Bukowski connoiseur. I only recently discovered him so i'm not fortunate enough to place this book in any formatted context. All i can say, from the point of view of someone who hasn't read much Bukowski, i thought this was brilliant. His writing style is so incisive and simple, i love it. Filled with paradox and irony. Its worth getting. I found myself ticking off the page corners when i would come across a great poem or interesting short story. Excellent stuff
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Oz du Soleil
Format:Hardcover
Collections of poetry tend to be uneven--especially when they're as enormous as Bukowski's work (as packaged by Black Sparrow).
Betting on the muse is uneven also, but it is surely worth the money spent. There are enough poems in here ranging from 'superb' to 'good enough' to make this worth buying.
The poem "Drink" is hilarious. Buk takes us into a New Orleans bar and excellently describes what he sees. The dark humor in it keeps me coming back to it.
"Until it hurts" is a poem about writer. It's a statement to any true writer.
Betting on the Muse has the usual fare: getting drunk, hanging at the horsetrack, woman troubles... and it never gets tiresome; but it also has Buk's words of wisdom about life and the process & meaning of writing.
I'd recommend this book above any of Buk's other collections.
I give 5 stars because as far as collections go it's about as consistent, from page to page, as you could ever hope for
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Simply put, if you are a Bukowski fan, you MUST read this. If you aren't a Bukowski fan, this is a very good (and gradual) introduction which may help you understand his earlier work. Not that his writing needs any explaining, but for some reason it is terribly misunderstood and unapreciated. I think "Betting on the Muse" will help readers understand the virtue of Bukowski's literature. Two very noteworthy things in this book are the poem "Let it enfold you" and "An empire of coins". This book is everything that Bukowski stood for: Good but minimalistic literature for the masses, with an pseudo existential twist (although Bukowski himself may not admit to that). Like another reader said "Bukowski loves life and hates life, but he lives life to the fullest".
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the one I recommend
For people who are hesitant to Bukowski, or even poetry itself, I tend to recommend this collection more than Love is a Dog From Hell or the one that I first read The Days Run Away... Read more
Published 1 month ago by evanjamesroskos
5.0 out of 5 stars
1st book by Bukowski I've read...more to follow
I found this book at my college's library and I really like it. I'm sure there might be better Bukowski books, but this is my first and I found it really interesting to read. Read more
Published on April 7, 2005 by Kyle Farmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
good horse betting poems
stories from the track, poetry tops here
Published on February 11, 2003 by William D. Tompkins
5.0 out of 5 stars
A woman who likes Bukowski?!
How could this be? I like Bach, classical poetry, high-brow literature...and Bukowski! I will admit his attitudes about women make me cringe, but this guy can really tell the... Read more
Published on November 19, 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books my eyes have ever graced
Curious about Buk? Start here. This book is a ticket to a life time addiction to bukowski. One of the best books ever to be written upon this earth, I cannot recommend it enough. Read more
Published on June 20, 2000 by D. Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars
saved my soul
furious mind is the greatest band ever come see them live in philly every monday at jojo's rhawn and roosvelt blvd.
Published on July 16, 1999 by love_bug@hotmail.com
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bukowski's poems and short stories say it all.
Gritty and cynical, yet strangely hopeful and innocent, Betting On the Muse is quite possibly one of the most powerful books I have ever read.
Published on June 12, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
intense human emotion perfectly put into words
Charles Bukowski holds nothing back, which is the beauty of his punch-to-the-gut stories and poems. He knew what he wanted to say and he said it--with no frills, no window... Read more
Published on July 2, 1997
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