On Writing

This volume gathers letters Charles Bukowski wrote to publishers, editors, friends, and other writers, and in them he talks openly about how he made his work. He describes the grind of writing as a job, and he is blunt about the odd and often absurd conditions of both daily life and the art world. Readers who know him as a rough, uncompromising voice will find the same edge here, though the letters also show a more tender side in places.

The correspondence paints a portrait of a man who wrote about the poor, the damaged, and the overlooked, and who looked at society's underside without sentimentality. Bukowski's bluntness and humor run through the pages, along with moments of quiet pathos and personal closeness. The letters are less a systematic guide than a record of one writer thinking aloud about his craft.

The book suits readers interested in the working lives of writers, in Bukowski's own work, or in the practical and emotional side of making art. Bukowski, a German-American poet and novelist, is best known for novels such as Post Office and Women.