Factotum: Amazon.co.uk: Charles Bukowski: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Post Office

by Charles Bukowski

4.2 out of 5 stars (24) �6.32

Women

by Charles Bukowski

4.2 out of 5 stars (18) �6.44

Ham on Rye

by Charles Bukowski

4.8 out of 5 stars (50) �6.42

Pulp: A Novel

by Charles Bukowski

4.1 out of 5 stars (15) �5.90

Tales of Ordinary Madness

by Charles Bukowski

4.1 out of 5 stars (11) �6.33

› Explore similar items

Product Description

Uncut

'A side-splitting chronicle ... dirty realism from the godfather of lowlife literature'

Bizarre

'Its genius is simple and it shines a wee candle on the life of an aspiring poet and home-relief applicant'

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

charles bukowski(1)

poetry(1)

See all 3 tags...

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars chinaski as bandini, 17 Oct 2005

By	marty mcfly "sparklethewonderhorse" (London, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Factotum was the second of Buk's novels, falling between Post Office and Women. Post Office was all about Chinaski (the alter ego) finding writing out of the menial life of a post office worker. Factotum filled in Chinaski's 20s, the period when he really ran away and learned to rage, to fight and to drink. Arguably i would say that this is the classic depiction of Bukowski as the 'down-and-out' that everyone associates him as. Peculiarly (or perhaps not) there is a lot of resonance here with Fante's 'Road to Los Angeles' and the Arturo Bandini we see in that book. I think this is as close as Bukowski ever came to imitating the work of his hero and yet it must have been unkowingly achieved, because Factotum ended up being published first. Still, to me the two are sister novels.

Although i wouldn't rate Factotum as the finest piece of Bukowski (i think the short stories and poetry are where his genius lie) i think it is crucial to understanding and loving his outlook on the world; it sucks, so lets drink and fight our way through it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grimly brilliant, brilliantly grim, 17 Nov 2005

By	John Ault (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This book is not uplifting. Bukowski pulls no punches in his description of a writer fighting for success, while fighting a losing battle against his own demons and apathy. Simply can't believe someone turned this into a film. Bukowski simply has to be read as a great American writer, shining a light on a part of America in the twentieth century that is not often looked at. His style is economical and fast paced, and you swiftly get drawn into a tale of characters doing really very little except messing up their lives. Don't read it when your down and alone.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick Up A Copy!, 28 Jul 2004

By A Customer

Just picked up Factotum by Bukowski, after reading The Losers Club by Richard Perez. Strange 'cause both books are somehow related. The connection? The drudgery of menial work! The dehumanizing affects of a life-wasting occupation is an underlying theme, mixed with accounts of failed relationships and an overall freefloating narrative structure. In Factotum, Buk recounts his mostly autobiographical adventures as a floating unemployed (and often unemployable) menial worker. He travels from state to state, writing and collecting rejection letters from magazines, and tries to deal with the unending humiliation of low-paying jobs and rat-trap apartments and fragile relationships. Often, he ends up hitting the bottle and, in bars, ends up meeting up with fellow drunks and losers and desperate ladies struggling to scrape by. There's humor here but also a lot of truth, some it stark and grim. One line that blew me away, gave me chills was: "Ain't no women on skid row." This was over Chinaski's anxiety regarding a female drinking companion. The style of the book is simple and easy and direct, and I found myself sucked into it right away. A child could read this book. I also read the whole book in one day, which for me is a first. Definitely pick up a copy of this novel. It's not as famous as his other novels, but as a memorable account/study of a "working stiff," worth owning, especially if you like Buk and his "down and out" view of life and appreciate his humor.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 11 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of his best
Bukowski is perhaps an aquired taste - if you like simple books about almost nothing that are both funny and sad all at once then this one is for you.

Published 18 months ago by Dillinger

4.0 out of 5 stars Chinaski Tests Bottom
In FACTOTUM, Charles Bukowski follows his alter-ego Hank Chinaski through a sequence of 19 menial jobs. Read more

Published on 5 Oct 2007 by Ethan Cooper

5.0 out of 5 stars Its like getting a tatoo
This book kinda reminds me of Catcher In The Rye though the story is much less metaphorical. From the first page to the last this novel flows beautifully... Read more

Published on 31 Jan 2004 by Andy Hawke

5.0 out of 5 stars flowing, torrid, humourous, shocking, insightful.
Another book from Bukowski about his alter-ego Hank Chinaski. The semi-biographical stories and encounters of the protagonist are short, sharp and acerbic. Read more

Published on 29 Jun 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars The writing alone will jerk you up and slam you down - hard!
Bukowski's language is among the most powerful you will ever read. Bukowski pounds. His sentences are compact, his grammar tough. His stories always raw-honest. Read more

Published on 7 Nov 2001 by Scot Devine

5.0 out of 5 stars the greatest satire on blue collar life
People read Charles Bukowski for two reasons: to live vicarious, and; to feel better about who they are as individuals (the latter accenting the former). Read more

Published on 9 Oct 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning description of being down and out in America.
Bukowski, in just 200 pages, encapsulates everything that can go wrong in one persons life, especially if the centre of that life is alcohol. Read more

Published on 3 Nov 2000

3.0 out of 5 stars An evocation of the glamour of cross-country US travel
A comfortable read - this book will satisfy everybody bar those with the feeblest of attention spans - the seedy glamour of life on the road in America is evoked well... Read more

Published on 29 April 1999

› See all 11 customer reviews...

Listmania!

The Best in Ballsy (ie Great) Books: A list by D.C.
Some of my Favourite Books (Part 1): A list by Peter Ellis "bukowski-65"
What did the 20th Century do for you?: A list by B. Hodge "onetinsoldier"

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Bukowski, Charles
Books > Fiction > By Period

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

	69% buy the item featured on this page: Factotum 4.5 out of 5 stars (11)
	13% buy Post Office 4.2 out of 5 stars (24) �6.32
	7% buy Ham on Rye 4.8 out of 5 stars (50) �6.42
	7% buy Women 4.2 out of 5 stars (18) �6.44

Factotum (Paperback)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Product Description

Uncut

Bizarre

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Your Recent History