Portions from a Wine-stained Notebook

This volume is filled with 36 short selections of prose by the late Bukowski, who is especially known for his poetry (e.g., "Bone Palace Ballet"). Via short stories and nonfictionintroductions to the work of other writers, book reviews, and autobiographical accountsthe reader is taken on a roller-coaster ride through the waxing and waning lucidity and sometimes depravity of Bukowski´s trademark topics (perhaps obsessions): sex, drinking, writing, and self-deprecating. Delving into social commentary, such as his observation that society is more interested in an artist´s personal life than artistic creations, Bukowski also documents the most private moments of his life, seemingly giving society what it wants. Describing in painful detail the abuse he suffered as a child, his antisocial interactions with others, strange sexual encounters, and ongoing battles with alcoholism and depression, this author remains astoundingly unique. Some will declare him an artistic genius, while others will agree with Bukowski´s own depictions of himself as a dirty old man. David L. Reynolds