Yes, it is indeed the birthday of poetry’s dirty old man, the beast of the beat, the voice of the disaffected. Had he lived, Charles Bukowski would have been 86 years old, and likely still living his life the way he saw fit and writing about it in the raw, bald terms that made him famous. In his lifetime, Buk was a prolific writer, with hundreds of publications to his name, but, his entry at the wikipedia notes curiously, he has been largely ignored by academic writers and critics - but not by the public. His popularity survived his death in 1994, and has fueled a series of posthumous publications of new works - 9 volumes of ‘new’ poetry including the latest, Come on In published in January of this year. Reviewer Ray Olson had this to day:

What other contemporary poet has posthumously published as much as Bukowski? This is his eighth postmortem collection. Three of the eight contain poems cherry-picked from his earlier collections by Bukowski. Said to be the fourth of five books of previously unpublished poems, Come on In! is the fifth (of the eight) bearing the subtitle New Poems. Did Buk set up one of the New Poems pre-demise? Whatever. This book includes the wonderful “the ‘Beats,’” which Paul Muldoon selected for The Best American Poetry, 2005, and a righteously withering portrait of another, much more socially successful writing contemporary of Buk’s in “nothing but a scarf” (could the figure in question be the subject of a brand-new hit movie?). One of the four parts is full of sad, hilarious lamentation and schadenfreude anent the man-woman thing; longest means best here: “the faithful wife,” “down and out on the boardwalk,” and, especially, “sex sister.” As usual, not for the kiddies. But for the adults, god, yes. Ray Olson
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Celebrate Bukowski’s birthday in style. Pop a brewski and settle in for a good long read of Buk’s work at Bukowski.net, perhaps one of the most comprehensive poetry fan sites ever created. Bukowski.net rivals the sites of anime cultists and Trekkies with its completeness. Besides a database of Buk’s writings, you’ll find dozens of photos of the poet, a manuscript database, reproductions of Buk’s artwork (some surprisingly good), his FBI file (yes, his FBI file!), a forum for Buk lovers and wonderful pieces of miscellany that include hand-drawn posters, handbills and broadsides advertising Bukowski’s work.

While you’re at it, drop by Tony Pierce’s blog to read his two year old tribute to Bukowski on the occasion of the poet’s 84th birthday. It’s still worth a read.

(Photo from collection at Bukowski.net)