Run With the Hunted: Charles Bukowski Reader, A (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The first thing I remember is being under something..." (more)
Key Phrases: run with the hunted, about your women, double vodka, New York, Los Angeles, The Stone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From recollections of early childhood in Germany and L.A. in the '20s to the unflinching reflections of a grizzled septuagenarian, the stunning directness and infamous "bad attitude" of Bukowski's autobiographical poetry and fiction are as captivating as they are repugnant. Faithfully anthologized here by his longtime editor and arranged in chronological order, these excerpts from more than 20 of Bukowski's published books chronicle--both explicitly and through several recurring personas--the major events of the author's life: childhood, the Depression and WW II, the deaths of parents and lovers, his experience in Hollywood, illness and old age. Bukowski's signature themes are also present: the racetrack, drinking, violence, women, sex and, of course, writing. Set in some half-dozen big cities, and several grim hinterlands in between, they depict protagonists listlessly careening through unusual jobs, seedy bars and squalid apartments where they are observed in fierce lovers' quarrels or in solitary debauch with just some booze and a typewriter. All are rendered with great immediacy, disturbing candor and Bukowski's singular blend of cynicism, misanthropy and unexpected sentimentality. While devotees may prefer the original volumes in their entirety, this is an effective primer for the uninitiated, or a refresher for past readers who, incredibly, have managed to forget.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Read by Bukowski, the works take on greater magnitude from the intensity of his soft, almost calm voice... Stunning." -- -- Houston Daily Cougar --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: HarperPerennial (May 7, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060924586
• ISBN-13: 978-0060924584
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #191,462 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgetable reading experience, June 28, 2002

By	Reviewer X (Las Vegas, USA) - See all my reviews

I am not going to go over the contents of the book, or much about Charles Bukowski, because if you are considering this book you must know something about the man and his work. I will just give you my impression of this collection of work.
No collection can ever really be complete, there are always new things to add, new commentary, newly discovered works, transcripts of records and unpublished letters, but this book does an excellent job in its attempt.
To me Charles Bukowski will always be one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, because of the sheer brutality and honesty his work emanates. It is funny, sad, sadistic, cruel, scathing, enlightening and thought provoking. Everything I like to read. This is poetry for people who are disgusted by verse of flowers, trees and Greek mythology. This is RAW human emotion and experience smeared out onto paper. It is not perfect, and it is not trying to be. It doesn't always work, but there in lies the subtle beauty of Bukowski's efforts. the guts to try. The attempts at honesty, clearly blocked by his unwillingness to divulge everything, and his cynicism of man.
This collection is shocking in its beauty, and inspiring by its simplicity. Enjoy.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A voice from the other side, January 22, 2001

By	T. Bekken (Austmarka Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To a kid growing up in a small town in Norway, Bukowski was definitely a voice from another reality. In many ways, his prose and poetry showed that the bums and the lowlifes - in other words; the hunted - actually had a voice, and a strong one at that... The greatness of Bukowski lies in his ability to tell extremely complex stories in a straightforward, deceptively simple language and style. The poetry is also very sharp and precise. Whatever the man did to himself with regard to drink and drugs; it never took away a smattering of his ability to observe the human predicament in all its glory - or terror, depending on whom you might ask... This 'reader' is a good place to start for anybody who would like to get acquainted with Bukowski's work. It contains poems and stories that stay on the reader's mind for a long time. The writings are also a reminder that no matter how hard a person might believe in the American dream, the dream doesn't work for everybody.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bitter, amazing realism, June 20, 2004

By	Austin McCann (Clearwater, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

A friend gave me a beat-up copy of this book last year and said I would like it. After reading one of the brutal stories of Charles' childhood (the one where he and his friends nearly hang a boy to death), I knew that I had discovered something. Charles Bukowski has since become my favorite writer, and this is the best intro one can have to this great man's work. I have been impressed (and occasionally amazed) at every piece of work Charles has ever written, from his memorable, deep poetry (that is completely free of pretension) or his poignant stories that reveal just as much of me as they do of him.