This and the recording "70 Minutes in Hell" marked my introduction to Bukowski. As a sullen lad of 16 I became immediately hooked. However, I'm not going to gush about one of my favorite writers, it would just be embarrassing. You can see all the stars i threw at it. i fucking love it. YET ANOTHER 'PERMANENTLY BORROWED' TITLE. Starting to think i should simply create a specific collection on this site for such items. Let it be a lesson to everyone, collecting books and records does not mix well with a drug habit. of all the years of abuse i don't regret anything but the fact my mind was not in good enough shape to notice these things disappearing around me. or maybe do i blame the company i used to keep? let's agree that i am just as much at fault as the cheap bastards i knew as friends or acquaintances ( )

In this collection of Bukowski's short stories, an eclectic mix of stream-of-consciousness rants, slices of memoir and actual short stories mix to create brief glimpses from the middle of a world viewed as the fringe by most.

In these stories, Bukowski writes what the early impressionists were caught painting - tales of gambling, drinking and sex. Like the painters breaking new ground, these are stories of opportunity. Instead of reaching for the prose that will look good in gilded covers, Bukowski writes graphically of times in prison, times at the bottom of bottles, the deep recesses of anger in the mind, and the self-doubt that plagues anyone of creativity. Much of it is raw, much of it is, at best, sexist, much of it comes from places of fear and anger, and some stories don't even seem to have a point, but all of it seems to come from a very personal place. Whether this place is always honest or not, is definitely up for debate. ( )

great collection of short stories by bukowski. quick read. ( )

Hilarious and revolting stories spewed onto the pages revealing a surprising humanity from places most of us never go. Don't get any on ya. ( )