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Charles Bukowski papers
mssBUK 1-1693
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Title: Charles Bukowski papers
Dates: 1965-2006
Bulk dates: 1965-1994
Collection Number: mssBUK 1-1693
Creator OR Collector:
Bukowski, Charles
Extent:
86 boxes, plus additional uncatalogued materials.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: manuscripts@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The materials include drafts of poems, short stories, and monographs by author Charles Bukowksi; correspondence to and from
Bukowksi; and ephemera related to Bukowski and his works.
Language of Material: The records are in English, primarily, with some German, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Collection is open but not all materials may be paged to the Ahmanson Reading Room. Please see the Curator of Literary Manuscripts.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item], Charles Bukowski papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.
Gift of Linda Lee Bukowski, 2006-2014.
Charles Henry “Hank” Bukowski was born August 16, 1920 in Andernach, Germany. Known for his crude and evocative poetry and
prose, often describing the hard luck, boozing, womanizing underbelly of life in Los Angeles, Bukowski achieved success later
in life. In his earlier years he was published sporadically and worked several years for the U.S. Post Office, an experience
he ultimately funneled into his first novel. 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, once briefly to Barbara Frye and the second time to Linda Lee Beighle, until his death. He had one
daughter, Marina, with his then girlfriend Frances Smith, another poet who later took the name FrancEYE. Bukowski died, March
9, 1994.
The collection includes drafts of numerous poems, published and unpublished, by Charles Bukowski, as well as short stories
and monographs. Other mauscripts include drafts of various published collections of poems or other writings, including posthumous
publications.
The correspondence includes incoming and outgoing material to friends, fans, and editors. Persons include: Marvin Malone,
John Martin, William Packard, and Carl Weissner, among others.
Ephemera and addenda manuscript and correspondence are as yet uncatalogued. Please contact the Curator of Literary Manuscripts
with questions regarding these materials.
Cataloger's note: The word anthology is sometimes used here not in its traditional sense, but rather to refer to a collection
of poems which may or may not have been previously published.
The materials are organized into three major series: Manuscripts, Correspondence, and Ephemera. These series are broken into
multiple parts (i.e. Manuscripts Part I) as various materials have been acquired over several years.
- Manuscripts (Part I) - Boxes 1-54
- Correspondence (Part I) - Boxes 55-65
- Oversize - Box 66
- Manuscripts (Part II) - Boxes 67-81
- Correspondence (Part II) - Boxes 82-86
- Ephemera and Addenda - Uncatalogued
Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, then title. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author's
last name.
Bukowski, Charles -- Archives
Malone, Marvin, 1930-
Martin, John, 1930-
Packard, William
Weissner, Carl
Authors, American -- 20th century
Poets, American -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th Century
Manuscripts for publication -- United States -- 20th Century