Post Office: A Novel: Amazon.co.uk: Charles Bukowski: Books

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Product Description

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'One of the funniest books ever written' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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'Humour, wisdom and the elegance of simplicity come at you in equal measure' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Bukowski, 4 Feb 2006

By	Depressaholic (London, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

‘PO’ is Bukowski on top (or should that be bottom?) form. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his time working (or avoiding working) for the US Postal Service, and chronicles his life both at work and at home. Henry Chinaski (Bukowski’s alter ego in many of his books) is the arch-misanthrope, an aggressive alcoholic with no desire to achieve anything other than staying alive and staying drunk. There is no romanticism in his lifestyle: it is unrelentingly visceral and grim. Women are for sex not love, work is about getting paid for doing as little as possible and life is about drinking. Even in his writing he makes no attempt to engage with his readers, who are treated with as much contempt as the rest of the world.
It is difficult to define the attraction of Bukowski, He was clearly not a nice man, and his hero, Chinaski, is not someone you would want to meet. Many aspects of him are downright repugnant, such as when he rapes a mentally ill woman, but there is something fascinating about a life that has given up on any sense of purpose, any desire for better things. Bukowski is the poet laureate for the people who don’t give a damn and, for the rest of us who still care about some things, some of the time, seeing the idea of apathy taken to its extreme is disturbing but mesmerising at the same time. I have read a lot of Bukowski, but ‘PO’ is perhaps the one that sums him up the best. It is full of the ugly side of life, so won’t be to everyone’s taste, but if you are interested by Bukowski, this has to be the one to start with.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Post Office: Defining statement of the Lowlife Laureate?, 19 Nov 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Post Office: A Novel (Paperback)

This is the first novel narrated by Bukowski's autobiographical alter-ego, Henry Chinaski. Through Chinaski, the writer tells us about the decade leading up to the start of his career as a full-time writer. He spent most of that decade working for the US Postal service.

This novel is a hilarious account of that period. The action switches back-and-forth between one world - that of hard drinking, occasional one-night stands and racetracks - and another - a grim, back-breaking struggle to keep at a job the narrator hates.

Anyone who has ever done menial work for low pay and wondered if they are going mad will recognise Chinaski's world. Few could have brought that world to life with such humour and bitterness all at once as Charles Bukowski.

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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS BOOK, 23 Jun 2003

By	J. Newman "james_newman99" (Thailand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Post Office: A Novel (Paperback)

This book proves that Bukowski was at his best as a writer when he was down and out. Thankfully for the reader he was mostly down and out during his prolific career, a slave to beer and whiskey and low life friends.

He gave up working for the post office and wrote this book in a matter of days. He had to produce a great book and make some money and he did so by recording his time at the Post Office. Makes you want to give up the day job and do likewise. But who could do the job as well as Buk?

For me, Post Office is Buk's best work along with Ham on Rye, Factotum and the short story collections. Bukowski uses simple language which is understandable to everyone, but there is a deep underlying sense of acceptance of life imprinted in every page. He never asks for pity, although you know he really deserves it.

This novel makes you feel good as when you read it you understand things could be worse. You could be Buk. That said, this novel is far from being depressing, quite the opposite in fact it is at times so amusing you have to put it down and laugh aloud.

If you are feeling hard done by, buy this book and learn how to laugh in the face of failure like the great Bukowski.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent slacker novel
This is one of the best novels that I have read in recent years. I actually thought I wasn't going to enjoy it having read some of the criticisms here on Amazon - 'misogynistic',... Read more

Published 4 months ago by N. Marsden

4.0 out of 5 stars A sweet life affirming tale
Well there's certainly no flowery language here,a tale of life as it is for millions of people,in fact probably most of the population in some way or another,just they don't write... Read more

Published 6 months ago by nicholas hargreaves

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written but documenting the familiar
This was very easy to read and was well written but I can't understand all the praise.

As someone who has worked rubbish jobs, drunk too much and been hungover too... Read more

Published 10 months ago by JF

4.0 out of 5 stars ? a metaphor for human existence
what do you get from reading about Chinaski's paranoid and conscienceless approach to his pretty grim life? Read more

Published 11 months ago by phil mars

5.0 out of 5 stars simple and brilliant
Every Bukowski novel you are guaranteed to have a good time reading it and this one is no different. The simplicity of the writing allows his soul to shine through. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Dillinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
While it is very much the norm in modern literature to focus on the self as the central theme of the writer's work, the novelist choses this motif at his own peril. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Marisol Starling

4.0 out of 5 stars A modern catch 22.
Although less compelling and lighter on the soul that Ham on Rye, Bukowski's Post Office is still an excellent read. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Teapot

3.0 out of 5 stars Relatively Uninspiring
This book is very short, especially when you consider that fact that it has an RRP of 8.99. With such a short length and short chapters, this is an 'easy' book - it sort of feels... Read more

Published 19 months ago by P. Martin

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious But Sad
Remember the smart but passive guy in your high school math class who did no work, attracted a certain kind of girl, always had a little money for beer, skipped school when it... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Ethan Cooper

3.0 out of 5 stars a true picuture
this is a book that fully conveys the banality and hardship of working in a backward looking place, such as a postal service, the seniority issues and sports obsessions and... Read more

Published on 11 Jun 2007 by Mr. A. Richardson

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	81% buy the item featured on this page: Post Office: A Novel 4.2 out of 5 stars (23)
	8% buy Ham on Rye 4.8 out of 5 stars (49) �6.99
	4% buy Factotum 4.5 out of 5 stars (11) �6.99
	4% buy Women 4.2 out of 5 stars (18) �6.99


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Post Office: A Novel (Paperback)

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