Miller, Bukowski & Their Enemies: Essays on Contemporary Culture [Paperback]

William Joyce (Author), Joyce William (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Joyce (First Born of an Ass, LJ 12/89) is a prime example of the critic as iconoclast. Here, in several extended book reviews, he celebrates the creative spirit of Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, and Irving Stettner while taking potshots at the academy and commercial publishing. Three essays on contemporary poetry and an article on B. Traven round out the volume. Passionate about literature, Joyce frequently goes out of his way to antagonize a literary establishment that places profit and political correctness before artistic vision. His blunt, sometimes crude language may put off some readers, but Joyce will not put anyone to sleep. The health of literary criticism in America today depends on voices like his.
William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Avisson Pr Inc; 1st edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888105119
• ISBN-13: 978-1888105117
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,701,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, passionate criticism, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Miller, Bukowski & Their Enemies: Essays on Contemporary Culture (Paperback)

I bought this book to read the author's thoughts on Bukowski and Miller and was quite impressed with the passion and clarity of his criticism. The best thing about it for me, however, was an introduction into the works of B. Traven, a writer I had never heard of before this book. Traven, the author of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and many other novels, is a forgotten treasure in our literature.

I highly recommend this slender volume to anyone interested in discussions of contemporary American literature. Be warned, though: This is not dry, academic discourse. William Joyce, for all of his erudition, is a bloody, passionate thinker and a living man. In other words, he's the perfect sort of fellow to write criticism of Bukowski, Miller and B. Traven.