Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame [Paperback]

Charles Bukowski (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Black Sparrow Pr (1983)
• ASIN: B002BFA16K
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is where to start, May 7, 2004

By 

My Uncle Stu (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (Paperback)

For a writer as prolific as Bukowski, it might be difficult to know where to start. This is a guy who continues to write a book of poetry a year despite being dead for over a decade. If you are just being introduced to his poetry for the first time, my recommendation is Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. It might have to do with where I was and what was going on in my life when I read it, but to me 1955 to 1973 are the best years of Bukowski. During this period, his writing focused on gambling, drinking, and prostitutes. This is clearly Bukowksi's strength. In some of the later writings he's a minor celebrity, going to poetry readings, sleeping with groupies, working on his screenplay... That's all entertaining too but not the best and certainly not the place to start.

This collection of poems includes three of my favorites. "To the whore who took my poems" which includes the lines "next time take my left arm or a fifty/ but not my poems:/ I'm not Shakespeare/ but sometime simply/ there won't be any more, abstract or otherwise;/ there'll always be money and whores and drunkards..."

And the poem "a 340 dollar horse and a hundred dollar whore" which I believe will resonate with anyone who has been to the track and had a long shot come in for them.

And my favorite, "startled into life like fire." All the great poets are cat-lovers. A full discussion of why this is true might be beyond the scope of this review, but I stand behind the statement. This is the only Bukowski poem that makes me weep. I read this poem while sitting shiva for my beloved cat Mingus, but I used to fall apart reading this poem long before he passed on. It reads in part:

"neither of us understands
cathedrals or
the man outside
watering his
lawn

if I were all the man
that he is
cat-
if there were men
like this
the world could
begin"

Libman's quickies on beginner Bukowski:
Beginner Bukowski for poetry, as stated above, Burning in Water Drowning in Flame. Beginner Buk for short stories would be Tales of Ordinary Madness. For a novel, start with Factotum. And enjoy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars View Life Objectively, April 30, 2003

By 

Matthew P. Arsenault (SW Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (Paperback)

I often feel that attempting to review poetry boarders on pretension. It is impossible to explore the infinite interpretations that accompany each poem; however, this compilation, which includes some of Bukowski's earlier works deserves some words.

All too often Bukowski is forced in to a literary box by those who have only read a brief snippet of his work. They see him as a down and out drunk, with a penchant for the written word. They fail to realize the greater depth of his poetry. Yes, Bukowski lived a very hard life, however, the booze and the women and the flophouse rooms also serve as a metaphor, illustrating his far-reaching insight into the world.

Through his poems, we see life through jaded eyes. So jaded, in fact, as to prove enlightening. From Bukowski's self-imposed exile from the daily grind, he is able to view the world of man objectively. He is able to gain a realization of the absurdities that all too often dull the lives of many, and in this way, Bukowski brings forth a certain level of enlightenment. Through his work, we too can view life objectively and combat the absurdities that plague us all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Man Poet, September 14, 2005

By 

Felicia Aguilar "Bibliophile" (Dallas, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (Paperback)

This is one of the best collections of poetry that I have ever read. I've recently discovered Bukowski after having one of my poems compared to his work. I did some research and a lot of people told me to start with this book. I am so glad that I did because it was a great introduction to Bukowski's work (and he does have a lot of work!) I am looking forward to reading my way through more of Bukowski's work in the near future.

These poems are full of humor, introspection, and managing to find inspiration in the smallest of things and occurances. Even though it may seem like some of the sentences are disjointed or out of place, every sentence is meant to be there and that is clearly visible when you reach the end of any poem in this collection. All of these poems seem to emanate with a jaded wisdom that one can't help but feel as if a lesson has been learned after reading each one.

My favorite poems in this collection that I recommend are "to the whore who took my poems", "for marilyn m.", and "i met a genius".