This is not a gentle read and is often unpleasant, but is well worth reading as an introduction to a unique American writer. The past year has seen Amazon lay off 27,000 corporate workers. The company reported 127.4 billion in revenue and 9 percent annual revenue growth in the first quarter, blowing past Wall Street forecasts. This, together with a horrified fascination, makes it difficult to give up on him. 2 days ago &0183 &32 Amazon’s revenues have bounced back, even amid a broad post-pandemic pullback across many of the e-commerce giant’s businesses. (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. His is a ‘like-me-or-loath-me attitude’ it’s all the same to him. 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. 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.

His modest income is derived from uncertain work at the post office, sorting and delivering mail. 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. ‘Post Office’ is Bukowski’s first novel and sets the style for his later books.

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