The man with the leather bag
The Man with the Leather Bag (1971; original title: Post Office ) is the first novel by the American writer Charles Bukowski (1920–1994). Bukowski processed his experiences as an employee of the US Postal Service in this work . The German translation by Hans Hermann was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 1974 .
Emergence
Bukowski had given up his job at the post office at the end of 1969 and was now trying to make a living from his work as a writer. This was made possible, among other things, by a regular donation from his then American publisher John Martin (* 1930) from Black Sparrow Press . According to Martin, Bukowski wrote his first novel in January 1970 within four weeks.
content
Henry Chinaski , Bukowski's literary alter ego , began working for the Post in the mid-1950s. At first he worked as a temporary postman , later as a mail sorter. Even though his superiors make life difficult for him, Chinaski does not let himself get down. In addition to work, his everyday life mainly consists of betting at horse races , excessive alcohol consumption and changing love affairs. After more than eleven years, Chinaski quits to write a novel.
“The next morning the night was over and I was still alive. Maybe I'll write a novel, I thought. And then I wrote it. "
Impact history
With the novel, Bukowski made the leap from poetry to prose . The work is now considered a classic of underground literature.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ John Martin (publisher). Retrieved August 14, 2020 .
- ^ 'I Never Saw Him Drunk': An Interview with Bukowski's Longtime Publisher. Retrieved August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ The Man with the Leather Bag - Book Guild. March 7, 2016, accessed August 17, 2020 .