2016 Classics Challenge: June
For June's 2016 Classics Challenge I read Charles Bukowski's Ham on Rye.
WHAT makes it a classic: It is a raw look at poverty, abuse, alcoholism, social exile, dead end jobs, dead end relationships and all the emotional burned that comes with it. I think Bukowski is kind of a genius at conveying the hopelessness that can envelope you if you don't live up to society's standards.
WHAT I thought of this classic: I loved it, I thought the writing was searing and effective.
Will it stay a classic: I'm not sure it's considered a classic in the English lit sense but for me it should remain a staple for anyone who wants to read about madness and the psychological toll that poverty and abuse takes on people.
WHO I'd recommend it to: Anyone that loves Sylvia Plath, JD Salinger, Ken Kesey, all of those guys.
Not the kind of classic that immediately springs to mind but to me it represents & captures a specific time and place that I'll never know but am interested in - post Depression era Los Angeles.
It follows Bukowski's alter ego Henry Chinaski as he grows up in Los Angeles. Henry suffers from an abusive father, borderline poverty and an acne condition that paralyses him socially. Learning to escape with alcohol at an early age, Henry drifts from one place to another trying to survive and reporting on the downtrodden, the beat-down and the restless.
WHEN I discovered this classic: I discovered Bukowski about 10 years ago when I read Post Office. Then I devoured his poetry, this one's been on my shelf for a few years and I'm kicking myself for not reading it earlier.
WHY I chose to read it: I started reading his poetry again and it got me interested in his life. Ham on Rye is essentially Bukowski relating his early life.
WHY I chose to read it: I started reading his poetry again and it got me interested in his life. Ham on Rye is essentially Bukowski relating his early life.
WHAT makes it a classic: It is a raw look at poverty, abuse, alcoholism, social exile, dead end jobs, dead end relationships and all the emotional burned that comes with it. I think Bukowski is kind of a genius at conveying the hopelessness that can envelope you if you don't live up to society's standards.
WHAT I thought of this classic: I loved it, I thought the writing was searing and effective.
Will it stay a classic: I'm not sure it's considered a classic in the English lit sense but for me it should remain a staple for anyone who wants to read about madness and the psychological toll that poverty and abuse takes on people.
WHO I'd recommend it to: Anyone that loves Sylvia Plath, JD Salinger, Ken Kesey, all of those guys.
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