The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain: New Poems [Hardcover]

Charles Bukowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2003

Throwing away the alarm clock my father always said, "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." It was lights out at 8 p.m. in our house and we were up at dawn to the smell of coffee, frying bacon and scrambled eggs. My father followed this general routine for a lifetime and died young, broke, and, I think, not too wise. Taking note, I rejected his advice and it became, for me, late to bed and late to rise. Now, I'm not saying I've conquered the world but I've avoided numberless early traffic jams, bypassed some common pitfalls and have met some strange, wonderful people one of whom was myself -- someone my father never knew.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The second volume of poems Bukowski left unpublished when he died does not contain many fights, arguments with women, or eruptions at parties. Most of it seems to have been written very late; indeed, one of its most effective passages consists of poems about his hospitalization during treatment for terminal leukemia, and several other poems look toward death with a calmness that verges on nobility. Oh, he stayed true to his jaundiced, damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't outlook, and he remained capable of f----th'-bastids rants against politics, business, and armed authorities. But he couldn't muster spontaneous ill-will as of old, and he actually let go of grudges. He became sympathetic of as well as to others. Read "the old girl" to appreciate this, for he relents and gives an irascible beggar he has spurned for years credit for endurance in the "self-same trap" we're all in; so doing, he rouses the impulse to feel for him, not just laugh with him. This is mellow Buk. Fancy that! Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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 to an American soldier father and a German mother in 1920, and brought to the United States at the age of three. He was raised in Los Angeles and lived there 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).

During his lifetime he published more than forty-five books of poetry and prose, including the novels Post Office (1971), Factotum (1975), Women (1978), Ham on Rye (1982), and Hollywood (1989). His most recent books are the posthumous collections What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire (1999), Open All Night: New Poems (2000), and Beerspit Night and Cursing: The Correspondence of Charles Bukowski & Sheri Martinelli, 1960-1967 (2001).

All of his books have now been published in translation in over a dozen languages and his worldwide popularity remains undiminished. In the years to come Black Sparrow will publish additional volumes of previously uncollected poetry and letters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060577010
• ISBN-13: 978-0060577018
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,977,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bukowski at his best, January 19, 2004

By 

SPM "scott_maykrantz" (Eugene, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain: New Poems (Hardcover)

There are three phases of Bukowski's poetry. (1) The hard-drinking, experimental 1960s and 1970s. In that period, he was putting out small chapbooks. His poems were short stories, but they felt a bit like traditional poetry. Bukowski tried some creative ways of stringing lines together back then, too. (2) The 1980s, when he was married and settled, spending time reflecting on his life. This is the best period, when Black Sparrow put out fat volumes of poetry and Bukowski had really found his 'voice.' (3) The post-death period, starting in the mid-1990s, when the back log of unpublished poems were released.

This book is part of that third phase. By this time, Bukowski knows exactly what he does best. Most of the experimentation is gone. This volume of one of the best of the third phase, right up there with The Night Torn Mad By Footsteps. Bukowski writes about his childhood, drinking, visiting the hospital for leukemia, the track, classical music, his father, relaxing with his wife, and growing old in Los Angeles. He even squeezes in two political poems. Every poem is good. Some are great. If you made a 'greatest hits' collection of his post-death poetry, at least a third of this book would be in it.

If you haven't tried Bukowski's poetry before, start with this book. If you're a fan, you'll be pleased with this new one. Previous 'third phase' books had some problems ("Sifting Through the Madness" was a disappointment), but this one shines. Bukowski is at his most reflective, with real control of his talent.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not filler and rejects- fits the flow of his life, September 14, 2004

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain : New Poems (Hardcover)

This isn't the best volume of Bukowski that I've ever read, but it isn't the worst either. I think that means something because I've read most of what he published during his lifetime- I used to look forward to the next book of poems, the next novel, year by year. The posthumous collections have been worthwhile in my opinion. This is all stuff that fits the flow of his life narrative. He needed to get it out; it isn't just filler and rejects. There are enough reminiscences about the old days to hold your interest if that was your favorite period of his life (though he makes it clear that to go out and try to live that way when you've got other options is insane.) Buk didn't have a choice and he points out that he was the luckiest man alive to have survived it.

As for this being "mellow" Bukowski, yes, I think he even uses that term in one of the poems. Plus he clearly let his hatred of his father go. However, he also states that he has never really had any peace in his life. Sure, his cancer took some of the fight out of him, but he never surrendered. He says in one poem that you have to "accept terrible reality", but that doesn't mean he ever surrendered to terrible reality.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Dumb People Crawl The Earth, December 20, 2004

By 

Laura Torrespico (Chicago, U.S.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain: New Poems (Hardcover)

Quoting partially out of B as an Bull****from page 117.

Be able to dislike poets and poetry

Be able to understand that the rich can be poor in spirit

Be able to understand that the poor live better than the rich

If you posses any intelligence you should be able to define the words POOR and RICH

Bukowski was a contradiction, which made him even more interesting, so he chose to kill

himself with alcohol and cigarettes that's his business. That does not take away his talent,

it may have something to as to why he contradicted himself so much, but I'm not a shrink and even if I was that wouldn't mean anything.

I loathed free verse in college while I was learning to write sonnets, but once I was introduced to Bukowski, it all changed. He was raw, outspoken, and politically incorrect. He was short and quick to the point and made you think and question many things. Isn't that what art is supposed to do?

You can pick up this book and read any little poem such as "poop", "the road to hell", or "pretenders" just to name a few and your outlook on things will change.

It mesmerizes that a dead man continues to enlighten people. I don't agree that this book is exactly his mellowest, but one of his best works.