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Charles Bukowski

Factotum Paperback – May 31, 2002

by Charles Bukowski (Author)

434 ratings

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One of Charles Bukowski's best, this beer-soaked, deliciously degenerate novel follows the wanderings of aspiring writer Henry Chinaski across World War II-era America. Deferred from military service, Chinaski travels from city to city, moving listlessly from one odd job to another, always needing money but never badly enough to keep a job. His day-to-day existence spirals into an endless litany of pathetic whores, sordid rooms, dreary embraces, and drunken brawls, as he makes his bitter, brilliant way from one drink to the next.

Charles Bukowski's posthumous legend continues to grow. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski.

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From the Publisher

At HarperCollins, authors and their work are at the center of everything we do. We are proud to provide our authors with unprecedented editorial excellence, marketing reach, long-standing connections with booksellers, and insight into reader and consumer behavior. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement, HarperCollins also uses digital technology to create unique reading experiences and expand the reach of our authors.

HarperCollins was founded by brothers James and John Harper in New York City in 1817 as J. and J. Harper, later Harper & Brothers. In 1987, as Harper & Row, it was acquired by News Corporation. The worldwide book group was formed following News Corporation's 1990 acquisition of the British publisher William Collins & Sons. Founded in 1819, William Collins & Sons published a range of Bibles, atlases, dictionaries, and reissued classics, expanding over the years to include legendary authors such as H. G. Wells, Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis.

The house of Mark Twain, the Brontë sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, and Margaret Wise Brown, HarperCollins has a long and rich history that reaches back to the early nineteenth century and offers our publishing team a depth of experience.

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From the Back Cover

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 1920 in Andernach, Germany, to an American soldier father and a German mother, and brought to the United States at the age of two. He was raised in Los Angeles and lived there for over fifty years. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of seventy-three, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp.

Abel Debritto, a former Fulbright scholar and current Marie Curie fellow, works in the digital humanities. He is the author of Charles Bukowski, King of the Underground, and the editor of the Bukowski collections On Writing, On Cats, and On Love.

Product details

Item Weight : 8 ounces
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780876852637
ISBN-13 : 978-0876852637
Publisher : Ecco (May 31, 2002)
Product Dimensions : 6 x 0.52 x 9 inches
Language: : English
ASIN : 0876852630

Best-sellers rank #66,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#474 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
#705 in Classic American Literature
#1,621 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
434 ratings

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5 star		70%
4 star		16%
3 star		6%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Buyer

That's just a testament to how great the others are

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2017

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Bukowski is one of my all-time favorites. I read the Chinaski stories in chronological order, which is (I think) more rewarding than reading them in the order in which they were actually written. Factotum is the second in the series, and probably one of the weaker ones. That's just a testament to how great the others are, because this book is still fantastic. Factotum tends to get overlooked in the saga because it doesn't necessarily advance Chinaski's story very much, but it is still a great read packed with outlandish moments. If you're going to read Ham on Rye, Post Office, Women, etc. don't overlook Factotum. It's an interesting, if not altogether necessary, addition to the story.

18 people found this helpful

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Michael Roof

More Chinaski

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019

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This is the second book in the story of Henry Chinaski's life. This one is short and, at times, a bit scattered, but like the others, it is always interesting and well-written. The language and situations are crude, but that is what Bukowski is all about and why I like to read his works.

2 people found this helpful

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Jerrod

Among my favorites

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020

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Underrated by many Bukowski readers, I’ve long felt Factotum is among his best work. Some may argue there’s value is just about anything ol’ Hank ever gave us, and I wouldn’t argue. But this ranks right up alongside Post Office and Ham on Rye as his best novels, and is among my favorite things he has written.

One person found this helpful

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John Montgomery

Meaningless

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020

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I became aware of Charles Bukowski through (of all places) Facebook memes (Example: “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”) When I saw this book advertised I thought it would be filled with pages of such insightful musings. Wrong! There’s nothing insightful in the book anywhere.

The main character goes from job to job, from woman to woman (sometimes women) and from bottle to bottle. There’s no story, no climax and no characters that anyone would care about. This guy’s life is as meaningless as the book is. Is that what it’s supposed to be about? Maybe I’m missing something.

Two stars for a few mildly entertaining scenes like when he’s learning to drive a taxi. Everything else is profoundly depressing.

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Lowell B

Bukowski. You either can go there or you can't.

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2015

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Bukowski. You either can go there or you can't. It is by no means "high-brow" but it is not unlike the down-and-out former industrial cities dotting the East Coast rivers - they seem dirty, unsafe, scary and then you turn a corner and see beauty you never imagined there. Somehow, that path gives greater impact to those beautiful moments. I love his unflinching embrace of his own flaws and the moments we would all run from where he finds solace and moments of peace. Great stuff.

6 people found this helpful

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William Z. Morphis

More Of The Same

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020

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Have read Post Office, Factotum and book of poetry Days Run Away but Bukowski is no Henry Miller. He takes you for a walk on the wild side and down skid row from the comfort of your own space. Not bad writing but I found nothing intellectually stimulating and nothing to justifying the praise I have read about his work. A masochistic life reaching for nothing more than the next bottle, the next slut and the next factotum position.

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Schtinky

Life and work through the melancholy glasses of alcoholism

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2008

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Extolled author Charles Bukowski wrote 'Factotum' in 1975, but with all the references to World War II in it, the tale seems to be about an earlier time, just after the war (though this is more my opinion than fact).

Henry "Hank" Chinaski is an alcoholic. One step above skid row (and at times even closer than that) Hank's main concern in life is maintaining a job long enough to feed his addiction. However, because of his addiction and his impulsive tendencies, Hank is never able to keep employment for any length of time. Bukowski takes us with thought and feeling through Hank's life, wandering from job to job and woman to woman. New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Miami; wherever he goes, his addiction never allows any type of fresh start. He walks off one job clearly stating he needed a drink, highlighting his careless outlook about employment in general.

'Factotum' takes us step by step through a portion of Hank's life, most of it looking for work, and portraying his dysfunction at work and tapping into his inner reflections about the job and how much he can put up with before folding and getting that next drink. Life slips by Hank as he contemplates his situations. His is an hour-by-hour existence, without much thought to either past or future. His closest female companion of the line-up he wades through with offhand affection is Jan, a woman with a hot temper and a lusty personality. But Hank eventually loses everything he touches, and accepts it with an unrealistic serenity not usually found in human nature. This isn't to say that Hank isn't at times violent, but his attitude about it lacks any firm conviction of it.

Bukowski has written a intensely emotional novel in a quietly reflective tone. His prose is almost poetry. Who else could capture the reader so powerfully over the subject of a born loser and a personality normally avoided? The book grabbed me from the beginning and kept me reading until I was finished. They made a movie of the book in 2005, called 'Factotum' after the book, that was very good. The movie reconstructs the order of Hank's life events, and updates the time from '75 to a more modern era.

Some interesting quotes from the book are "Slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism" from the back flap, and "When you drank the world was still out there, but for the moment it didn't have you by the throat" from the content. I loved this excerpt from page 188; "I bought an eight year old automobile and stayed on the job until December. Then came the Christmas party. That was December 24th. There were to be drinks, food, music, and dancing. I didn't like parties. I didn't know how to dance and people frightened me, especially people at parties. They attempted to be sexy and gay and witty and although they hoped they were good at it, they weren't. They were bad at it. Their trying so hard only made it worse."

I highly recommend both book and movie. Enjoy!

7 people found this helpful

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N. Allen

A Youth in Rebellion

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2012

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Don't expect any timeless wisdom in this one, yet you might be surprised about what you do find.

Main character Chianski is a young rebel and introvert(perhaps early 20's) as the story begins. We follow him through a journey in which he remains on the same destructive path time and time again. He doesn't give a damn about anyone, including himself. Only a searching reader could assert that he offers much if any introspection on his path through minimum wage, alcoholic, urban America.

We must then try to see what we can gain from his tale. Chianski is deeply bitten by the bug of nihilism and thus only aspires to be a sometimes clever man in a world of American misfits. Tale after tale brings us no new insight nor growth that we might expect of a reasonable man. Chianski will, however, give us some worthy perspectives to chew on as an anti-authority detached observer of systems. Ultimately, the tone is powerful and distinct, giving us a strong modern novel that will leave it's own mark.

3 people found this helpful

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Pete Cowell

More Tragic than Humorous

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2017

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Compared with Post Office and Women, Factotum is my least-favourite Bukowski novel. I say that because it broadly lacks the dark humour that makes reading about his characters' small tragedies bearable and even compelling. Still, you can't have everything, and it's important to follow the exploits of Henry Chinaski as far as the road takes him.

2 people found this helpful

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Felix Jones

Better than Post Office!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2013

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I am enjoying this book so much it almost defies words. Charles Bukowski has very quickly become my favourite author and I think his shocking and fascinating use of the 'gritty realism' style has and will be influencing my own writing. An incredibly interesting tale of the mundane man that somehow puts you in his place and keeps you locked into the story, a real page-turner. This is the kind of book that if you lose track of it you will turn your room upside down to find it again (even if it turns out afterwards you just left it downstairs). A great read, incredible man, though I'd recommend checking out Post Office first, get more of a feel for the character in the right order.

I'd also recommend Bukowski's poetry collection 'Love is a Dog from Hell'.

5 people found this helpful

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MaggieWhy

First to read of Bukowski's collection

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2012

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It is the first book of Bukowski that I've ever read. Factotum is a 160page story, to read in no time. It made me feel uncomfortable at first to read about a guy who basically spends his life drinking and switching crappy jobs. But it quickly won me over mixing sincere and simple writing with a pinch of comedy. One thing I know of, is that it left me thinking and challenging the only right way of living. Not that I mean to follow the "Factotum" path :)
If you have some time then to read a not too long book and prefer something of a higher value, go for it.

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Amazon Customer

Arrived in excellent condition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020

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For personal reading does what it says on the tin

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Amazon Customer

Entertaining and witty

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 24, 2017

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A classic - A must read along with all other Bukowski works/

Short tales for easy pick ups

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Mell

Bukowski Factotum

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2014

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I have read this book before and love it. Bukowski is one of my favourite writers. I bought this book as a birthday present for a friend who subsequently loved it too. Lot's of laughs.

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E.A.P.

good book with typos i think

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2018

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first Bukowski book for me

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Dave

This man is remarkable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2012

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Bukowski is magical. I'm still amazed how he manages to sum up in a handful of throw away words what other writers take pages and pages to flirt with and still can nail.

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Marta Horvat

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2016

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Excellent!

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Lord_belial

Recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2017

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As expected.quick delivery.thank u

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Josh

Brutal

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2019

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Honest.

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Bölcskei Imre

Surely not his best, but its an important book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2015

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Surely not his best, but its an important book, for all of us, to hear about a man who didn't go to the war but stayed home, in that hollow america what was left behind.

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mongo gushi

Fast paced, bounty of job hopping and lady shopping!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2014

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The story is that bukowski wrote this at pace wanting to complete it ASAP, it feels that way too, but not in a bad way. I could of happily read on for a few hundred pages more, a fascinating life written with contempt for everyone including and especially himself.

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Diane Considine

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2020

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Can't get enough of CB

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JPP

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2016

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Plain speaking and emotion - good.

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