Born in Germany in 1920 and raised in the United States, the poet, short-story writer and novelist Charles Bukowski occupies a unique place in world literature. Bukowski’s prolific output sits at the confluence of a number of major literary, creative and intellectual traditions; this new interpretation of his life and work details the diverse fields that influenced him – a list that includes German philosophers (Nietzsche, Schopenhauer); Russian writers (Dostoevsky, Gorky); American poets (Whitman, Pound, the Beats); classical music; and the eighth-century Chinese poet Li Po.

Also crucial to Bukowski’s development as a writer was his German-American heritage, and in this book David Stephen Calonne reveals this hybrid identity to be as critical to any understanding of Bukowski’s biography and oeuvre as his abusive childhood and discovery in adolescence of the ecstasy of alcohol. Exploring several little-known works of fiction and poetry dating from the early years of his career, his major works, including Post Office and Factotum, and the many volumes of poetry published with Black Sparrow Press, Calonne studies the numerous versions of Bukowski created by the writer himself and his followers.

A concise yet comprehensive new account, Charles Bukowski will be of interest to those already fans of this influential figure and an invaluable introduction to those new to his work.