Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader – The Best Novels, Stories, and Poems from a Harrowing and Exhilarating Life

I would probably start with post office, then go to his novel women, but not if you're a woman. This book is great in that it dips into all his great titles such as Ham on Rye and Hollywood and you really get the flavour of his writing arc from when he first recounted his early days, through his crazy,despairing and rambunctious later years and up to his more genial old age. Through it all the one adjective to describe him is sincere. I don't mean honest necessarily but he is often that, but he always expresses the essence of what he was going through. Sometimes that was hellish, sometimes creepy, sometime hilarious, at other times mad, sordid or poetic. Uncle Charles would have given you the low down on it all as he saw it and all in his unpretentious Hemingway-esque style. Not many writers have a movie made about their life (Barfly was about his not so alterego Hank), and Californication is a series where the lead character Hank has a life that reads from the great man's pages. The downside to the raw honesty that really makes him unique, think NO FILTER, is the seediness and angst at times. The quality of the writing, and also the repetitiveness of his picking up girls sometimes wears thin too. This may have come later but I'm sure an unhygienic, unattractive, broke and antisocial alco would not have been a big hit with the ladies. That's ok, it's almost like he's winking at us as he sets up a bar joke. His prolific output, and driving the typewriter under the influence would explain his more unpolished efforts. This just makes his poetic moments all the more startling by the contrast. A lot of the time though his writing breezes along. The beauty of this book is that as it's edited you're spared this downside. It's still heavy going at times so it's a perfect reader before bed, and as his adventures are all episodic you can pick it up and down almost anywhere. The greatest tribute I can give Uncle Charles is that he was one of three writers that inspired me to write my own novel Bex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. The honesty I hopefully get from him. You learn about life reading BUK and even beyond the grave he's helped out. A few weeks ago a postie's motorbike got stuck in quicksand out the front of my house. It had been raining big and it wasn't his run. He was fuming and came up to use my phone. As he was tossing up whether to quit I suggested he read Post Office, and I'm sure that would have sealed the deal and pushed him in the right direction. From what he told me that day the place hasn't changed. Cheers you big genius lush, enjoy your high balls in the sky. You are the patron uncle of posties everywhere.

You must read this. Bukowski is one of those writers I have heard about but never read. His work is described as gritty, realistic, and alcohol-driven. All that is true, but there is so much more here. This collection combines parts of his novels, poems, and other writings to form what is basically an autobiography. Since much of Bukowski's fiction concerned a writer who was a thinly veiled version of himself, the concept works very well. The prose portions here are incredibly well written, providing an utterly real picture of America from the late 1920s to the early 1990s (Bukowski died in 1994). He tells of his dysfunctional family, especially his father, his struggle with terrible skin problems, his happy discovery of alcohol, his life in Los Angeles, his travels to New Orleans and other places, and his many many relationships with women. There isn't a dull moment. At times, his story reminded me of some of Charles Willeford's works, particularly PICK UP, which share the same lowlife settings. But Bukowski goes far beyond Willeford's perennial irony to provide a much more realistic picture of his (or his character's) ups and downs. The prose is only part of the book, however. As good as it is, the poetry portions of the book are even better. Bukowski makes profound statements about life, death, art, politics, and whatever else is on his mind in a style that starts out very much like his prose before becoming more terse and more effective as the book goes on. I highlighted so many passages on my Kindle that I can't begin to quote them all. I will leave you to make the discoveries yourself. There are massive amounts of alcohol consumed in this book--enough to outdo even the most alcoholic noir detective. There are infidelities, betrayals, pain, suicidal thoughts--you name it, but the book is never depressing, because Bukowski is a true survivor. As the book proceeds, he becomes wiser and even more perceptive about those around him. I enjoyed this book as much as anything I have ever read. I wish I could give it more than five stars. Lastly, I have to say that this ebook, purchased from Amazon for a ridiculously low price, had the most typos of any etext I have ever read. It was obviously scanned in using OCR and no one every checked it, which is unbelievable. After a while I gave up reporting the errors to Amazon. I hope somebody will fix them. None of them is likely to confuse an attentive reader, but when "die" is turned into "the" or something else, it can be confusing.

I know a lot of people consider this book to be insufficient when it comes to Bukowski (specially due to the fact he was such a prolific writer), but I believe it's a decent, comprehensive introduction to his work. I really like the way the stories and poems have been presented in a chronological order, as they relate to Bukowski's own life. It was nice to re-read parts from certain books, put in a different context. And it's a good book to have on the go, because it's filled with poems and tales that can be read in any order you please... and trust me, there's enough material to keep you entertained for hours. I do wish certain stories and poems had been included, but honestly they were of my personal predilection and perhaps would not fit in the idea Mr. John Martin had for the book. In any case, as a Bukowski fan, I do recommend this for anyone who wants to get a taste of his writing, or one volume that contains a great variety of his work. It's surely the kind of work that, far from quenching your hunger for the Dirty Old Man's work, will leave you wanting for more!

Most of this was material I had read before, but it was arranged in a way that made it refreshing. This is Bukowski's life glimpsed through his writing, most of which is to some degree autobiographical, and Bukowski surpasses Hemingway in his ability to render his life into a great work of art. A good introduction to the great man and his oeuvre, and an enjoyable revisiting of some of his best work.

I have bought at least 3 copies of this collection, given as gifts. And now I find that it is available for kindle, super cheap! Get it, get a big bottle of cheap wine and have a good read. Well, maybe get a nice cup of tea, settle in and get ready to visit the world of Charles Bukowski. By the end of the book, you want to stand up and toast all the people in the bar! "TO ALL MY FRIENDS!" Love Bukowski!!!

Great Bukowski reader, has a little of everything. If your new to Bukowski, this is the perfect place to start. It has some of the best written parts from about 25 diffrent books he has written. So you can injoy both , parts from novels and poetry. If I were traveling and could bring only a book or two and wanted something to read by Bukowski this would be it. I recommend this book ! Yes😃

I came late to Bukowski--an old man reading an old man. But he's definitely an original, and with Run with the Hunted your given a good overview of his life's work. It's also prompted me to read Ham & Rye and the most beautiful women and Drowning in Flame Burning in Water. His poetry is where he really shines. But all his work is good; though, to me, actually most of his work seems autobiographical, but there's nothing wrong with that because he wrote from a life intensively lived. Emotions, good and bad, fully revealed. He's sarcastic, profane, emotionally wounded, but always illuminating the world and the time he lived in it. Anthony Valera.

I have read alot of Bukowski (To say one has read everything is grounds for immediate dismissal). This is the first time I have ever got a chronological timeline of his life as literature. I spent a week reading myself to bed with Run With Hunted. I slept like a baby and thanked God every day since for my blessed life. I would recommend this to people of an open mind and stable life. He is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

This is an excellent, albeit, also a disturbing book in its raw and cutting view of reality. Sometimes, it’s hard to take, but, is excellent, no doubt and must have had quite an impact in its day. Well worth the read! This quote, from CB, just happened to appear on Pinterest, yesterday, which reflects the source of the book: “It takes a lot of desperation, dissatisfaction and disillusion to write a few good poems. It’s not for everybody, either to write it, or, even to read it”

Quite a lot from ham & rye, but great as an intro.

This is a collection of his writings - both prose and poetry, taken from a number of his books and compiled into one. Find the list of books in the picture. Also, it costs 699. No complaints on the quality of writing. The paging is inefficient as most poems start from the middle of a page and go on the middle of another page, instead of using a whole page.

Although barely legible, all pages are blurred photocopies of a previous poorly printed edition. Do not expect to receive an ordinary reprint.

Excellent set of writings that left me wanting more - a great writer, who I fear will be forgotten over time and that would be a tragedy. If you buy only one Bukowski book - you won't go far wrong with this one. Though, it would be improved with a short introduction and biography.