Tales of Ordinary Madness

Get the microscope ready to read this lilliputian sized font.

Great entry point for a person curious (or not) about Bukowski. This was the first title of his I bought. I've read this cover to cover many times. Not to be missed. 'Would you suggest writing as a career?' is a personal fave. Highly recommended.

Having been attracted to this writer by some of his quotes that I saw, I decided to read this collection. He can write, but the subject matter of his stories is frequently obnoxious, tales of his excessive drinking and his poor behavior around others, over and over. He presents these tales as if they are biographical, and the character he exhibits seems purposely unlikeable. It pushed the boundaries of social insouciance too far for me.

I read this book before I ordered it here, and it's exactly like the one I read. I'm not going to read it twice, but I'm glad I added it to my collection.

What can you say about Charles Bukowski's writing? He wouldn't care anyway, so there. I want to give the book both a 1 star and 5 stars because Bukowski elicits that kind of response. His writings bravely explore the most base of human nature and yet, also imply the highest of human aspirations. It can sometimes be an emotional keel haul to follow Bukowski through his stories of drink and gambling, but the dialogue is quick and full of hooks. This book has some great short stories that are free standing of his usual Henry Chinaski persona as well as Bukowski himself. All in all, I enjoyed reading it through high and low.

i had a student teacher in high school my junior year whom i bumped into a little book store in downtown flagstaff, az. we said our hi's and asked me what i was getting, i kinda laughed wondering if he really thought i would spend my hard earned not eating lunch, lunch money on a book. then he passed me tales of ordinary madness. he told me he couldn't recommned this book to me at school and that i probably shouldn't bring it to class. interested, i ended up buying it. i finished that book in three hours twenty-seven minutes on a 16 year old, high school hangover, on a sunday afternoon. and now 12 years later i've read everything i can get my hands on by bukowski, and yes, have spent quite a bit of my no-eat money on hid books. rape, rape, rape is probably the best, most uncomfortable feeling i've ever felt. it was strangely amazing.

He was definitely possessed as a writer and saw things as they were,...raunchy..desperate...low lifes...but nonetheless..people...

Water markings/stains as per advertised no problem there. Very frequently misspellings so much so where it seemed the person working at the publishing company tripped on their words or was drinking like Bukowski while copying Bukowski. Not as broken in as I'd hoped but, eventually it'll wear down. Solid low price, had there been a broken in binding and old pages and it would have been perfect. Solid communication from the seller.

Bukowski Fans kommen auch hier auf ihre Kosten. Denn selbst die kleinen Storys oder Gedichte von dem Meister sind beeindruckend gut geschrieben. Sie haben Inhalt und sind mit einer gewissen Finesse geschrieben. Er beweist meisterhaft, dass Gedichte nicht nur romantisch sein müssen oder aus Floskeln bestehen müssen-sie können auch rauh und rüde sein und trotzdem schön. Ich habe seine Bücher in mehreren Sprachen gelesen und habe sie trotzdem gut verstanden und gefühlt.

todo perfecto

This was my first indulge into the world of Charles Bukowski. WoW, WoW, WoW.His writing is not for the faint hearted and he certainly is not shy about leaning on the overuse of the 'c' word to capture and maintain his expressive tonality.What an interesting fellow he must have been. This was a fabulous read.

Tales of Ordinary Madness is one of my favourite book! Already readed in Italian, but in English is better!!Shipping very fast!

Ces petites nouvelles de Charles Bukowski ont pour fil conducteur leur caractère à la fois autobiographique, hyperréaliste, et malsain. L'auteur, en permanence imbibé de bière et de whisky (ou de tout autre alcool qui passe à sa portée), évolue en titubant dans des bas-fonds plus ou moins pittoresques avec une extra-lucidité et une absence totale de retenue donnant libre cours à ses obsessions sexuelles et à ses pensées et commentaires presque toujours orduriers, souvent pertinents, et parfois géniaux tant sur un plan philosophique que culturel. L'un des paradoxes de Bukowski est que ce vieux dégoûtant, cet être immonde, est aussi un homme au goût et au discernement très sûrs qui ne cèdent à aucune mode. S'il n'a rien de commun avec le rêve américain à l'eau de rose, il se distancie également, et avec une grande méfiance, des nouveaux maîtres à penser de son époque, fussent-ils Bob Dylan ou Ginsberg. Le résultat provoque intérêt et réflexion, est souvent prodigieusement hilarant, mais soyons clairs: cet ouvrage n'est pas à mettre entre les mains des petites filles. L'esprit, comme nous l'a appris Jean de la Fontaine, leur viendra (peut-être) comme il convient, mais chaque chose en son temps...