Sifting through the madness for the word, the line, the way

395 pages

English language

Published Jan. 24, 2003 by Ecco.

(1 review)

from "neither Shakespeare nor Mickey Spillane"young young young, only wanting the Word, going mad in the streets and in the bars,brutal fights, broken glass, crazy women screaming inyour cheap room,you a familiar guest at the drunk tank, NorthAvenue 21, Lincoln Heightssifting through the madness for the Word, the line the way,hoping for a check from somewhere,dreaming of a letter from a great editor:"Chinaski, you don't know how long we've beenwaiting for you!"no chance at all.

6 editions

coffeemonk reviewed sifting through the madness for the word, the line, the way by Charles Bukowski

Review of 'sifting through the madness for the word, the line, the way' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Not a lot to say about this book... Bukowski lived an interesting life, and his work seems to both celebrate and declaim his apparent depravity. His poetry itself is rather pedestrian in form, generally leaving the reader to deal with the subject-matter in a fairly raw state, without embellishment for its own sake. In other words, there is no rhyme or meter, simply words and stories that hover somewhere between poetry and prose.
If you're a fan of free-verse, this may scratch an itch. If you're a fan of personal stories of individuals who live their lives almost exclusively to service their baser natures, then likely you'll love this collection.
There are some sweeter entries, seemingly from later stages in the author's life, where he celebrates a more stable life and time with the same raw directness. Whether these serve as redemption of a sort, or merely a counterpoint is, …

Not a lot to say about this book... Bukowski lived an interesting life, and his work seems to both celebrate and declaim his apparent depravity. His poetry itself is rather pedestrian in form, generally leaving the reader to deal with the subject-matter in a fairly raw state, without embellishment for its own sake. In other words, there is no rhyme or meter, simply words and stories that hover somewhere between poetry and prose.
If you're a fan of free-verse, this may scratch an itch. If you're a fan of personal stories of individuals who live their lives almost exclusively to service their baser natures, then likely you'll love this collection.
There are some sweeter entries, seemingly from later stages in the author's life, where he celebrates a more stable life and time with the same raw directness. Whether these serve as redemption of a sort, or merely a counterpoint is, I would say, for the reader to decide.