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Charles Bukowski

Pulp Paperback – May 31, 2002

by Charles Bukowski (Author)

209 ratings

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Opening with the exotic Lady Death entering the gumshoe-writer's seedy office in pursuit of a writer named Celine, this novel demonstrates Bukowski's own brand of humour and realism, opening up a landscape of seamy Los Angeles.

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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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Always the iconoclast striving for a kind of literary raunch, the internationally acclaimed Bukowski ( Ham on Rye ), who died recently, leaves us with this spoof of the hardboiled detective genre, featuring an L.A.-based private investigator named Nick Belane. As the title makes clear, this novel is dedicated to bad writing, and readers who choose to ignore this warning and plunge ahead will soon know why. A spoof should be funnier and sharper than what it is spoofing but, compared to Hammett and Chandler, Pulp is quite simply trash. In the opening pages, Belane is paid a visit by a lady in red named Lady Death, who turns out to be death itself looking for the French author Celine, who should have died a long time ago but hasn't. Belane's search for Celine leads him to some space aliens who have assumed human shape, and to some juvenile encounters with an unhappily married couple. Along the way, every woman he meets is a dish, and every man is a dumb thug. In every bar he visits, Belane is mistaken for somebody else, a mistake which invariably erupts in a murderous brawl. The prose is practically nonexistent, and you can forget character. All that's left is humor and philosophy, but Belane's humor is all bathroom and his philosophy can be summed up in the lines, "I wasn't dead yet, just in a state of rapid decay. Who wasn't?" Bukowski has taken the worst of the PI genre, stripped it bare, and added nothing but a dose of adolescent posturing. It's sad thatBukowski has left as his parting gesture a book so weak and thin.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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 : 7.2 ounces
ISBN-10 : 9780876859261
Paperback : 210 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0876859261
Product Dimensions : 5.63 x 0.53 x 8.98 inches
Publisher : Ecco (May 31, 2002)
ASIN : 0876859260
Language: : English

Best-sellers rank #217,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#487 in Dark Humor
#877 in Lawyers & Criminals Humor
#1,657 in Classic American Literature

Customer Reviews:
209 ratings

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4 star		16%
3 star		7%
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Jon G.

and have read a good deal of stories over the years

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2018

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Never read any of Bukowski's work before this one. Some people say that your need to read his more serious work to really "get" this one, but I wholeheartedly disagree. If you're a fan of literature, and have read a good deal of stories over the years, you will find this one pretty darn funny. If you're uptight, or are some kind of literature purist, then steer clear, but if you appreciate some great tongue-in-cheek humor, and an obvious "thumbing-of-the-nose" at "proper" literature, then check this out for sure!

I've been laughing my ass off reading this one. :-)

18 people found this helpful

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Soup Sandwich

A wild ride

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2018

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As this was Bukowski's last work, I am left wondering whether he was at his best, or his worst. Either way, the dialogue is very fast and has wide open gaps which the reader will either enjoy or hate. I personally loved it because Bukowski is testing the reader at every turn. You gotta work for this one. And isn't that so much like talking to an old guy with experience? You gotta fill in the gaps because they don't have the time or energy to spoon feed ya, kid. This is Bukowski having fun with you at the bar. The ending was a bit odd for his style however. I am wondering if he died before he could finish. In any case, it doesn't detract as long as the reader is aware. I highly recommend this book as a fun and loose ride.

7 people found this helpful

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Michael Roof

Great book! Bukowski's last.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019

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I'm a huge Bukowski fan, and there isn't enough of him for me. This was his last novel, and is not related to the Henry Chinaski series. That said, this character certainly shares some of Hank's personality and outlook. I think there is a little more bare philosophical rumination in this book than in any of the others, which isn't saying all that much, as the others tend to eschew that type of thing. Bukowski's famous plain and explicit writing style is on full display here. Great book! Too bad there aren't more of them.

2 people found this helpful

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Brady

Bukowski At His Wo[best?]rst

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2016

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The book is dedicated to bad writing...seriously?

Yep, and one of the most important literary proponents of not giving a s*** about anything is behind it.

This review doesn't require much, and reading of the book requires little to no mental faculties. It's a poorly written detective novel, and it's as usual a beautiful print. Black Sparrow knew how to handle things in that regard.

If you haven't read Bukowski, I wouldn't start here, but like a badass he ended his career here. In my opinion, his best book is Ham on Rye, but it takes balls to intentionally write something this horrible; thus, this beautiful. Read HOR, and then give this a try, and don't take it seriously...otherwise you've missed the point and missed out on an otherwise entertaining and hilarious read.

Happy reading!

5 people found this helpful

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FJA

It's Bukowski

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2019

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The novel contains many of the elements that have made Bukowski's work a raucous, enjoyable ride. It is edgy, irreverent, full of drink and street philosophy, and fast moving because the author is always in control. In many ways, it is a tribute to old Hollywood. For Belane, it's a matter of remembering, as Bukowski would say, " how you walk through the fire".

2 people found this helpful

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Vincent Deporter

Inspiring

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2020

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I love Bukowski's raw prose. It's inspiring to me because I love the direct and apparent simplicity of his work. I say "apparent" simplicity because it takes talent and work to boil down a sentence to it's shortest and most efficient point. In itself, it's an artistic form that is slowly making way for less precious and elitist work.

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lidz

Pulp -- An Excellent Use of Paper

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017

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This is most likely Bukowski's best. He saved the best for last. A thoroughly enjoyable novel in the Bukowski genre while also including the classic manner of all other detective novels. You can feel yourself right in the scenes with these characters. It is a shame he did not live to write another one like "Pulp."

3 people found this helpful

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Trish Lewis

Pulp Fiction

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2017

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One either understands where Bukowski's coming from, or they have a decent and happy life!

6 people found this helpful

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Tariki

Confusing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2017

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Really confused about this and though I give it five stars it could have been one, two, three or four. I had downloaded a biography of Bukowski along with this novel but half way through the novel I returned the Biography unread for a refund. The novel was good, very readable, entertaining, very funny at times ( the chapter where the main character, a private eye, pays good money for a telephone chat on a sex-line is hilarious ) But just how funny can Bukowski's world be? A one dimensional bleak world where everyone else is purely there to screw, hate or be screwed by. Where any problem is met by taking a hit of booze. Where in between every move you make you enter a bar, pick a fight, or make a bet on a horse that always loses? Yet, strangely, the Dick thinks he must keep a canary ( painted red - read the book ) else if he let it out "it would starve". Now, is that compassion peeping into Bukowski's twilight world? His world is close to nihilism and I have read that one redeeming feature of it is "honesty". Is honesty the same as realism? Really, getting back to the beginning, I remain unable to truly rate this book. But five stars, to perhaps encourage others to read it. Meanwhile, I will continue with biographies of others. Maybe Hesse, Huxley, Keats - who is fooling who, and who is wasting their time? No, I don't live in Bukowski's world but I think I remain honest.

3 people found this helpful

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MR W

Another great Bukowski book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2020

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Before this I had read 3 books by Charles Bukowski, Factotum, Ham on Rye and Post Office. Pulp is just as good these but with a different angle of being a detective or p.i. story. I love Bukowski’s books, they are full of cynicism, sarcasm and self deprecation and to top all that, nihilism and transgressive elements. His books are also some of the funniest I’ve read and yet reading some of the reviews, people don’t seem to recognise or acknowledge this.

2 people found this helpful

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Fair Play

Wonderful book. Wonderful Writer!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2018

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Pulp: A Novel by Charles Bukowski is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have read.
It’s irreverent, witty, hilarious and sad. It’s sad because the author knew he was dying from leukemia at the time of writing. The book reflects his own life. The setting is LA, the city he knew intimately, and some of the characters are based on real people he knew. And, possibly some of the imaginary way-out characters were based on people he knew. I have the delightfully named Jennie Nitro in mind as one such character. As for Lady Death, that one speaks for itself.
It parodies a style and an age of LA-noir private detectives or “dicks” as he refers to them in a reelection of that era. He has an office. What dick wouldn’t? He writes. There is a gun in the top drawer and he tips a brown derby over his left eyebrow as he leaves the office often to find himself a bar stool, a scotch and water, and invariably picking a fight with some character or another in the bar.
Some of the characters are outlandish such as the heavy who wears a pink suit. His two “gorillas” also wear suits of the same hue. A bit like Tweedledum and Tweedledee in triplicate. The surreal nature of parts of the book reminded me of ‘Alice In Wonderland.’ It was like reading a book and tripping on acid, not that I have done that.
There are way too many hilarious or poignant parts of this book for me to quote here. It would probably breach copyright if I reproduced the score or so wonderful lines from the book. I will restrict myself to a one of favourites, and that’s not easy:
“I was gifted, am gifted. Sometimes I looked at my hands and realized that I could have been a great pianist or something. But what have my hands done? Scratched my balls, written checks, tied shoes, pushed toilet levers, etc. I have wasted my hands. And my mind.”
Wonderful! I wish he was still alive. I’d love to meet him, get drunk with him. Wonderful book. Wonderful writer!

One person found this helpful

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Woolco

A Blast

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2017

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This ones's my favourite Bukowski novel - above Post Office and Factotum even. It's got that easy, tough talking fluidity, edgy and world-weary, what you'd expect. Only this one's got self-deprecating humour too, plus surreal red herrings/sparrows etc... Let's face it, if you could cast a modern day noir gumshoe who else would you have?

And if you listen real close with your ear to the gutter, you can make out a deep rumbling of profundities. That or a passing subway train.

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Tony Hyland

Wonderful pastiche

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2019

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Great idea and starts brilliantly but runs out of steam half way through...great artist however and what a life he led....

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Dave

A Final Thought From Hank

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2013

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Noir with a heavy dose of the surreal and the metaphorical PULP is Bukowski's finally gift to the world before his passing. Nick Belane is old school, old Hollywood and hot on the straight of a French writer presumed dead and the Red Sparrow, amongst other things. Most interesting Hank penned this having made BARFLY and written HOLLYWOOD. What do you think that says?

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Amazon Customer

Does what it says on the tin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020

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For personal reading excellent product

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Jack Deighton

Pulp is actually my favourite Bukowski. It's probably his least popular novel but ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2018

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Pulp is actually my favourite Bukowski. It's probably his least popular novel but it shouldn't be (that should be Women or maybe Factorum). It's a clever book, probably has his best (and maybe only plot). It still has everything that his other books have but it also just has something more. He was dying when he wrote it and I think that had an effect.

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ministergerry

Confusing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2013

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Of all his books I have read so far this one is the most confusing. I think he must have been totally pissed when he wrote most of it. I normally like his ramblings but my attention just wanders off while reading this one. Doesn't really grab me.

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davemorgan

Buk's Last Stand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2020

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Bukowski's last novel. Entertaining spoof in the classic private detective noir style. As bleak or as funny as you want it to be.

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Jonty53

Respect Buk

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2017

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Typical Buckowski, and very satisfying for that. I love this book, it is a keeper.

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Monika

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2012

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I've read about half of the book by now, but already I personally think it's one of Bukowski's best books. Hopefully I wont be disappointed by the second half. Connecting author's typical rudeness with surreality and adding pinch (ok, quite big one, but anyway) of contemplating about death is just great mixture.
The true is, it's not the best book to start with if you're gonna read Bukowski for the first time. It takes time to get used to his style and character, but then...
Love it!

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Angela Scott

Excellent and engaging book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2019

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Enjoy Charles Bukowski at his black humour best in this book which is an interesting take on life, death and why we are here at all. Brilliant.

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Marco

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2015

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Brilliant! A true masterpiece by one of the best writer of the 19th century. Easy reading, deep an fascinating

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The Lemur

Fuh Q

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2018

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You know the time has come.
You know the time has come.
You know the time has come.
You know it.

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