Love is a Dog From Hell
Love is a Dog from Hell is split into 4 parts and poems it contains are in the classic Charles Bukowski style of direct, prose poems. Although his approach can sometimes seem brutal, Bukowski is a writer of experience and hidden subtlety and is capable of writing poems of poignancy, as well as wit and raw emotional intensity. His poem dedicated to his ex-girlfriend, for instance, "One for old snaggletooth" is rather touching: "she has hurt fewer people/than anyone I know,/and if you look at it like that,/well,/she has created a better world/she has won."
As I mentioned earlier, this Charles Bukowski book is of particularly interest to people who want insights into his attitudes towards women, as many of the poems take his relationships as subject matter. Bukowski has been accused at various times of being a woman hater (see my article: Was Charles Bukowski a Misogynist?) and in these poems we see his full range of attitudes and musings, from poignancy and sentimentality, to cruelty and lust.
One of the most interesting poems in the Bukowski book is “An unkind poem” which takes a shot at poets and the poetry scene which begins with the lines: The go on writing/ pumping out poems --/ young boys and college professors/ wives who drink wine all afternoon/ while their husbands work,/ they go on writing/ the same names in the same magazines/ everybody writing a little worse each year.
The book is a definite must have for any fans of Charles Bukowski poems and is one of his strongest collections of his works. Is it the best Bukoswki book of poems? No, not in my opinon. The Last Night of the Earth Poems
, written close to the end of his life, is my favorite and the collection of early work, Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame
is also great. Love is a Dog from Hell
is probably the best Bukowski book of poems from his mid period, however and I would definitely consider buying it if you don’t already own a copy.
See also
Let's not forget the movie of that same name. Also Classic.
ReplyDeleteSome great quotes from a great man!
ReplyDeletethis blog was really great, never seen a great blog like this before. i think im gonna share this to my friends.. taste of the wild reviews
ReplyDeleteSo luck to come across your excellent blog. Your blog brings me a great deal of fun.. Good luck with the site. Jug Dog UK
ReplyDelete