Another Charles Bukowski novel starring Bukowski’s alter-ego, Henry Chinaski. It follows Chinaski during the 1940’s as he wanders from meaningless job to meaningless job in a drunken stupor, sometimes moving, via Greyhound bus, from his base in Los Angeles to New York and Miami. His girlfriend and sometimes prostitute, Jan, enters and leaves his life a couple of times along the way. Hank, as he often refers to himself, never maintains employment for more than a few months. He is riddled with vices – alcoholism, infidelity, gambling, and sloth. He acknowledges that he is not the greatest person. He often pokes fun at himself. Most of the humor in this book is derived from this. He sees himself exactly as society likely does – as a degenerate lacking all self-control. He is clearly able to identify right and wrong and he is also very accepting of the consequences of his wrong choices. He never seems to hold ill-will over the firing him. Most people do not have an accurate perception of themselves. They believe they are better, smarter, or nicer than they really are. Hank sees himself precisely as an outsider would. I think it is a big part of what makes Bukowski’s writing so unique, that and the fact that he brings you vividly into his myriad of debaucherous circumstances. He makes no apologies for anything. He just expertly narrates his life at the bottom.
Here is an example of how Hank approaches a new job:
I wasn’t very good. My idea was to wander about doing nothing, always avoiding the boss, and avoiding the stoolies who might report to the boss. I wasn’t all that clever. It was more instinct than anything else. I always started a job with the feeling that I’d soon quit or be fired, and this gave me a relaxed manner that was mistaken for intelligence or some secret power.
Hank frequently works with other degenerates and bums. One thing that likely distinguishes him from the other rabble is that Hank did study journalism at city college for two years. This is a fact he often omits in his dealings with others in his circle as he believes it may disqualify him from some of the menial jobs he applies for or alienate him from the those he has to work with. Hank continuously writes and submits stories to various publications during his debauchery. This is his most redeeming quality. He is looking to improve his position through this means, despite avoiding every other aspect of being a responsible and respectable adult. He eventually gets some work published in a magazine and takes great pride in it. Bukowski himself, had his first succesful book published when he was over 50. It is somewhat endearing that he maintained a love for writing and a confidence in himself despite decades of obscurity and rejection. This is remarkable as he is considered as quite a successful author.
The book ends with Hank broke, just fired, drunk, and in a strip joint. He finds himself much the way the story starts, but now he is without his girlfriend Jan, who has found a cash cow to live with.