Post Office: A Novel by Charles Bukowski (PDF)

Description

It began as a mistake. By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel—the one that catapulted its author to national fame—is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Parts of this book were hilarious, parts were heartwarming and other parts were disgusting. The buffalo chase was especially funny; his caring for Betty when she was sick was uplifting and his absolute alcohol dependency was discouraging.1 1/2 thumbs up.

⭐A delirious, repetitive, repressed and hostile bureaucratic nightmare, Post Office is a novel that takes on Bukowski’s decade-plus chained to the postal system. As a compelling artist, sloppy drunk, and sexually voracious gambler, Bukowski drifts in and out of his narrative with unsentimental anger and boozy energy, an undercurrent of resentment and anger everpresent until it is contrasted clean with the interest and indulgent love for the women in his life.The most provocative elements of this book was certainly the portions where we see the shuffling, confusing, scary catch-22 Brazil-esque burlesque of his work in the Post Office itself. Cycling in and out, over and over, unable to even quit his job, Bukowski created a labyrinthine grand guinol of paper and sorting boxes all standing in his way of his net drink, his next lay, and his ability to even write a halfway decent line of poetry. In many ways, this reflects how I personally see my own art in the world, and it is in this manner that I really connected with his character in this book. In real life, the genesis of this book and Bukowski’s career came from being offered a hundred bucks a month to quit the post office to promise to write full time by John Martin and Black Sparrow Press…and so we all wish for this little black sparrow angel to fly into our window someday.The most beautiful element of the book was easily the portrayal of his relationship with Betty (Jane Cooney Baker). They were perfect for each other, but in the piece the sentimentality with which he approached their relationship in both tone, diction, syntax, and other practical elements isn’t mirrored by any other writing in the book or in his approach to any other woman in any of his books. It is simply this beautiful, pure, self-destructive relationship that serves as a wholly gorgeous and holy relic that he certainly held on to for the rest of his life…and it seems that the story arc with her is one of the most beautiful things that he had ever written – the only thing that he had ever cared for snatched from him just as he realized that it was the most important thing in the world to him. What destroyed her is exactly what he tried to destroy himself with, and in her death he found the death of love, the death of a healthy sexual identity, and the death of himself.Of course, the narrative pacing and overall diction of Bukowski’s narrative voice are certainly the most compelling elements of this book. There is a certain blue-collarness to his writing that offers a remarkably simple approach to what is often a much more serious and Complicated piece – but his genius lies in this very thing. Bukowski can create a story that is appropriate for all intellectual audiences and still write something that is completely different in terms of overall beauty and meaning in the English Language. This is likely why legions of writers thought they could follow in his footsteps and write when nothing could be further from the truth (and Bukowski had no problem telling them that).An excellent, excellent, excellent book that should be required reading for all American men.

⭐Comedy almost with drama induced sex raged hungover hormones makes me label the great deceased writer “the big Bukowski” no pun intended.

⭐I think Charles Bukowski’s novel “Post Office” is not a novel at all. This is a memoir. And quite obviously Henry Chinaski is Charles Bukowski. Even if some of the events did not exactly happen to Bukowski in the exact way described for Chinaski, I think they would have been included in a memoir anyway. After all, there are no memoir police patrolling the streets of non-fiction and calling out liars. Who is to question the author’s memory? Nevertheless, I think literature is full of memoirs masquerading as novels. When I think about it, if I ever attempt a memoir, I better call it fiction. Fewer people will be hurt . . . or appalled.This book is vulgar, raw, rough, and bubbling over with unsavoriness. I loved it. It is full of sex, booze, petty criminals, women of easy virtue, men of even easier virtue, and a cast of other compelling and fascinating characters. In other words, it is classic Bukowski and a wonderful experience being drawn into the dirty underside of life that is best described by Bukowski. Throughout all, there is great joy and profound sadness. And I will never feel the same about my mailman again.Bukowski can be tremendously funny and there are scenes that had me roaring. He can also be sensitive, introspective, and philosophical. This book is easy to read, very entertaining, and even educational. It is in my pile of books I will read again.

⭐If you really hate your job, “Post Office” beats a whole stack of Dilbert cartoons or watching an endless loop of “Office Space,” “Clerks,” and other workplace comedies. From the way Bukowski describes the post office, it’s no wonder “going postal” entered our lexicon. It’s probably also why my uncle who worked for the post office for a number of years was always so cranky.The story concerns Bukowski’s alterego Henry Chinaski. When he’s a younger man, Henry does his first stint at the post office as a substitute mail carrier. As the motto says, he winds up trudging through rain (and mud) and dark of night, occasionally being attacked by the odd dog or two. This finances Henry’s life of drinking and cavorting with Betty.Eventually Henry moves on to other jobs and other women, including a wealthy heiress with a thing for animals and geraniums. He drinks and cavorts a lot with all of these and even fathers a child with one. To support this lifestyle Henry is drawn back to the post office, this time working as a clerk. It’s a maddening, routine job that his supervisors only make more maddening. One of the funniest parts is early on when Henry’s supervisor keeps writing him up for ignoring his write ups, which Henry keeps throwing in the trash.Despite that his style is like a seventh grade student’s, Bukowski’s writing has a drunken swagger that makes it enjoyable. I have to wonder how much of what happens was based on real events and how much was just bravado. While it never rises to the level of “Catch-22” or “1984” it still demonstrates the crushing effect of a soulless bureaucracy on the common people.Of course a lot of people will not want to read this because of the bad language, the sex, the violence to women, and so forth. But if you’re a fan of writers like Hemingway, Chuck Palahniuk, or Bret Easton Ellis or you just have a really crummy job, then you’ll get a kick of this.That is all.

⭐Post Office: A Novel by Charles Bukowski.In the author’s own unique style, he writes what is a semi-autobiographical account based on his own experiences working at mundane jobs with the United States Post Office.What I found most remarkable about this short novel (162 pages) is how enjoyable the author made me feel about such an apparent mundane, ordinary world. I say “enjoyable” because it was a joy to read. I could sense the pain behind the pen. The pain was often camouflaged with hilarity, his sexual mores, heavy drinking and ventures to the racetrack. There was, it seemed, a quiet rage taking place in this author’s soul. The “mundane” was the Post Office setting. Not many, I wager, could write such a compelling book in that kind of setting.It is an account of a so-called loser, dwelling in the lower reaches of American society in the 1960’s. Parts of the story are brutal as the main character Henry Chinaski lurches from one bad place to another. Yet, it is also tender perhaps best illustrated by the ‘second-time-around’ relationship with Betty. He notices how she has aged and realizes he has too.I found his attitude to the pettiness of the Post Office bureaucracy hilarious both in the excellent dialogue exchanges between him and his “soups” (supervisors), and the replication of some mindless, legalese warning letters issues to him by the Post Office. It reminded me of my own “real life” when dealing with similar government institutions.This is a unique book written in a unique style. There is also a further unique aspect. In this UK Virgin Digital edition there is an excellent foreword by Niall Griffiths. I don’t think I have ever been entertained as much by a foreword.

⭐First book of Bukowski I’ve ever had the pleasure to read and I can confidently say, he’s now one of my favourite authors! Never have I devoured a book with such ease and enjoyment as this! I totally understand his cult status, the words just flow of the page into my mind and dance a happy lucid little jig. A story that on the face of it seems like it would be rather bland is just fantastically realised in glorious technicolor. A delight to read. Bukowski has it! Whatever it is that magic you need to be a great writer he just has it!Following the life of his alter ego Henry Chinaski through his life as a postal worker in different forms amongst other things Bukowski takes us on a rip roaring no holes bared, heart on his sleeve adventure through life, capturing all the tasty interesting bits. His absolute sense of himself throughout this story and die hard attitude towards his life make for an absolute classic piece of literature. At times and in spirit it reminded me of Down and Out in Paris And London by Orwell of Junky by Burrows. Its raw beauty had me enchanted.

⭐I’ve heard a lot of people talk about this writer and there are parts I really liked. I laughed out loud several times and it represents the absurdity and meaninglessness of life very well. We need this these days as we’re all too busy chasing perfection and the approval of others when these others are only wrapped up in themselves.I knocked off a star because I wanted to know more about how he ended up like this.I should have read Ham on Rye and Factotum. Guess I’ll do that now.

⭐I think this was Bukowski’s first novel, written, I believe, within a month or two after quitting his job at the post office where he’d worked for years. And it shows. This semi-autobiographical tale contains all the raw emotion and frustration you might expect; details of the numbing grind, the drunken oblivion, all the rough nights and the women Henry Chinaski, the antagonist, spends them with. Holding it all together is a sense that it was written in passionate desperation, and this energy is almost tangible. It’s a novel about a guy trying to make it as a writer. No, it’s the story of a guy trying not to get crushed by the facts of his own existence. Whatever it is, Post Office is eloquent, witty and uncompromisingly real. Try it.

⭐‘Post Office’ is Bukowski’s first novel and sets the style for his later books. It is a semi-autobiographical story of Henry Chinaski, a low-life loser living a day-to-day existence revolving around heavy drinking, gambling at the racetrack and as much sex as he can get. His modest income is derived from uncertain work at the post office, sorting and delivering mail. The job is unrelentingly harsh and boring, but he refuses to buckle under, even when a vindictive supervisor refuses to allocate him work some days and so he is without pay. As a role model Chinaski leaves much to be desired, and is a far from attractive person, with many aspects of his character definitely repulsive. His is a ‘like-me-or-loath-me attitude’; it’s all the same to him. (Perhaps it is a foretaste of Bukowski’s own later life; when he became famous and rich he married several times and also drank heavily.) The writing is direct, sometimes raw, and often coarse, but with humour, not unlike that of Henry Miller, but is just right for the situations described. This, together with a horrified fascination, makes it difficult to give up on him. This is not a gentle read and is often unpleasant, but is well worth reading as an introduction to a unique American writer.

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