Booze, Horses, Poetry, And Women: Charles Bukowski Was A Mac Guy

After finishing Rick Moody's The Ice Storm and loving it, I wanted to make sure my next read was a good one. I'm finally picking up some steam in terms of Whitney, and I don't want anything to get in the way.

I've got a stack of books to read and besides the Cheever bio, which I'm saving for whatever kind of trip/vacation I go on this summer, there is no order in which the books need to be read.

I decided to go with:



The Captain Is Out To Lunch... is a collection of Bukowski's letter/journal entries from the early 90's with illustrations by R. Crumb. This combo alone makes the book worth it. They had two other collaborations--illustrated short stories (here and here)--and I have both of those too.

Bukowski says early on that he never had any use for keeping a journal, but he did it finally because "someone told me it would be a good idea." I read 100 pages last night because it's just that good--any Bukowski fan would recognize the themes of booze, horses, poetry, and women, but it goes deeper than that. Now 71, he confronts death with the same vigor he approaches everything in his writing, remarks on the benefits of having a pool and a hot tub, and how lucky his nine cats are.

The best part?

He typed all of it on a "Macintosh."

He even talks about taking a computer class and how much he loves the new technology.

*

What I've decided to do for today (and maybe tomorrow) is share with you all some of the best of what The Captain Is Out To Lunch... has to offer. There's so much in here about life, and about writing, and about just making it through the fire, and it's all pretty inspiring, while still keeping it light and humorous.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Here's the first bit:

There's nothing to stop a man from writing unless that man stops himself. If a man truly desires to write, then he will. Rejection and ridicule will only strengthen him. And the longer he is held back the stronger he will become, like a mass of rising water against a dam. There is no losing in writing; it will make your toes laugh as you sleep; it will make you stride like a tiger; it will fire the eye and put you face to face with Death. You will die a fighter, you will be honored in hell. The luck of the word. Go with it, send it. Be the Clown in the Darkness. It's funny. It's funny. One more new line...

JS