Charles Bukowski: The Great American Misogynist
There is something incredibly vulnerable about the habit so many of us have to seek out media on subjects close to our hearts. Even in our escapism, we search for people just like us. I am certainly someone who does this a lot. I have been sober for just under a year (Thank you very much) and I can’t tell you how many of my idols have struggled with similar things. Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie. So when I heard about Charles Bukowski’s life, I was intrigued. He was an alcoholic I can only describe as committed. He never gave up drinking until the day he died and he never grew tired of it. So, I bought a book and I started reading. ‘Ham on Rye’,Bukowski’s 1982 novel, tells the childhood of the protagonist, Henry Chinaski, who is essentially Bukowski’s alter ego. All the Chinaski books are largely autobiographical. ‘Ham on Rye’ opens with a young Henry navigating the world in front of him with much trepidation. It tells of a very unhappy life in poverty, jumping from...