Charles Bukowski

King of the bums

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

A lot of writers bash Bukowski. It’s almost a sport, a very easy sport. Like kickball. No, Bukowski is not the pinnacle. Yes, Bukowski-worship is annoying. Worship of any author is annoying. But why is it ok to worship someone like Billy Collins or Sharon Olds? “But, but, but those people are REAL writers, and Bukowski was not a REAL writer.” You never hear people say, “You write just like Billy Collins!”…