Henry Chinaski
Henry Charles "Hank" Chinaski is the literary alter ego of the US writer Charles Bukowski and the leading actor in many of his poems and novels as well as the films Barfly and Factotum .
Since Chinaski's biography is based on the life of Bukowski, it is difficult to draw a line between Chinaski and Bukowski. Chinaski could be considered the literary secret of Bukowski's penmanship: the intimacy and poetics of the author disguised as the inflated ego of a dime novel hero.
Chinaski in the lead role
Selection of works in which the character Henry Chinaski appears (in the original language):
Books
- Confessions of a Man Insane Enough to Live With the Beasts (1965)
- Post Office (1971)
- South of No North (1973)
- Factotum (1975)
- Women (1978)
- Ham on Rye (1982)
- Hot Water Music (1983)
- Hollywood (1989)
- Septuagenarian Stew (1990)
- Pulp (brief mention in Bukowski's last novel)
Movies
Chinaski can be seen in the feature film Barfly , where he is played by Mickey Rourke , and in Factotum with Matt Dillon , a film adaptation of Bukowski's book of the same name. Chinaski can also be seen in the Dutch short movie De Blauwe Bus from 2009, where Jan Mulder played his role.
reception
The Czech rock band Chinaski is named after the character Henry Chinaski.