Charles Bukowski Periodical Collection, 1941-2009, bulk 1972-1994
Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Bukowski, Charles
- Abstract:
- This collection contains nearly 400 issues of 248 periodicals with content written by or about the poet, novelist, and short-story writer Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), who was known for his crude and evocative poetry and prose that often described the hard luck, boozing, and womanizing underbelly of life in Los Angeles, California, in the second half of the 20th century. The items date from 1941 to 2009 and consist of periodicals ranging from small literary journals to large weekly news magazines that contain poems, short stories, interviews, excerpts, and drawings by Bukowski, as well as photographs of him, and articles or interviews about him, or in which he is mentioned.
- Extent:
- 396 items in 29 boxes
- Language:
- English.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains periodicals with content written by or about the poet, novelist, and short-story writer Charles Bukowski, covering a span from 1941 to 2009, and is a subset of the Charles Bukowski Printed Material Collection. The materials consist of nearly 400 issues of 248 periodicals that contain poems, short stories, interviews, excerpts, and drawings by Bukowski, as well as photographs of him, and articles or interviews about him, or in which he is mentioned. The materials span from Bukowski's first published short story "'Aftermath of a Lengthy Rejection Slip,"' which was published in Story magazine in 1941, to obituaries and articles about Bukowski and posthumously printed poems and short stories that appeared after his death in 1994. The items range from small literary journals to large weekly news magazines published in a number of countries and in a variety of languages including English, German, and French.
Approximately 90 periodical titles received with this collection are not included in this finding aid but are instead cataloged individually; they may be retrieved by doing a keyword search for "Charles Bukowski Printed Material Collection" in the Huntington Library Online Catalog: catalog.huntington.org.
The collection inventory below contains entries listing the periodical title, issue number, date, publisher and publisher location, language (if other than English), the titles, page numbers, and authors of the Bukowski-related pieces, and a short description of the content.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Poet, novelist, and short-story writer Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) was known for his crude and evocative poetry and prose that often described the hard luck, boozing, and womanizing underbelly of life in Los Angeles, California, in the second half of the 20th century.
Charles Henry "'Hank"' Bukowski was born August 16, 1920, in Andernach, Germany, and immigrated with his family to Los Angeles in 1923. His first published short story, "'Aftermath of a Lengthy Rejection Slip,"' appeared in Story magazine in 1941, but in his earlier years, he only published sporadically and did not achieve success until later in life. In the early 1950s, Bukowski began working for the United States Postal Services and later funneled his experiences into his first novel, Post Office (published by Black Sparrow Press in 1971). Bukowski began to write full-time in 1969. Often disparaged by critics, Bukowski's writing has achieved a large cult following in the United States, while his popular and critical acclaim is significantly larger in Europe, especially in Germany.
Bukowski married twice, first briefly to Barbara Frye in 1957 and to Linda Lee Beighle from 1985 until his death. He had one daughter, Marina who was born in 1964, with his then girlfriend Frances Smith, another poet who later took the name FrancEYE. Bukowski died March 9, 1994.
- Acquisition information:
- This collection was donated by Linda Lee Bukowski beginning in 2006 .
- Arrangement:
-
The periodicals are broadly organized according to general size (Boxes A-H contain smaller issues, Boxes I-U contain medium-sized issues, and Boxes V-CC contain larger issues); within each grouping, issues are arranged alphabetically by periodical title and then chronologically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Note:
-
Finding aid last updated on August 21, 2013.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Authors, American – 20th century.
Authors, American – 20th century – Interviews.
Authors, American – 20th century – Periodicals.
Poets, American – 20th century.
Poets, American – 20th century – Interviews.
Poets, American – 20th century – Periodicals.
Journals (periodicals).
Magazines (periodicals).
Periodicals.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191