The Prose And Poetry of "On Cats" Proves Purr-fect For The Feline Lover In Us All

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Title:  On Cats
Author:  Henry Charles Bukowski
Format:  ERC
Length:  128 pages
Expected Date of Publication:  December 1st, 2015
Publisher:  Ecco
Rating:  5 Stars
 
A raw and tenderly funny look at the human-cat relationship, from one of our most treasured, iconic writers

Felines touched a vulnerable spot in the unfathomable soul of Charles Bukowski, the Dirty Old Man of American letters. For the writer, there was something majestic and elemental about these inscrutable creatures, whose searing gaze could penetrate deep into our beings. Bukowski considered cats to be unique forces of nature, elusive emissaries of beauty and love.

On Cats offers Bukowski's musings on these beloved animals and their toughness and resiliency. He honors them as fighters, hunters, survivors who command awe and respect as they grip tightly onto the world around them: "A cat is only ITSELF, representative of the strong forces of life that won't let go."

Funny and moving, Bukowski's On Cats brings together the acclaimed writer's reflections on these animals he so admired. Bukowski's cats are fierce and demanding—he captures them stalking their prey; crawling across his typewritten pages; waking him up with claws across the face. But they are also affectionate and giving, sources of inspiration and gentle, insistent care.

Poignant yet free of treacle, On Cats is an illuminating portrait of this one-of-a-kind artist and his unique view of the world, witnessed through his relationship with the animals he considered among his most profound teachers.  -Goodreads

My Thoughts
On Cats offers readers the rare chance to see a much softer side of the astoundingly brilliant, yet startlingly acerbic and unabashedly hard living writer.
It is through this fascinating hodgepodge of short prose and poetry that we, his readers get to learn of and experience his life as shaped by the many felines who shared it.

The works found within the 100+ pages of this collection are not so much about him. But instead are a testament to the majesty, resilience, self sufficiency,intelligence, and timeless beauty that is all cats. With his cats providing a first-hand case for study and inspiration, and he acting as observer and inspired scribe.
This is a book that no feline lover should be without. Whether enjoyed whole, or morsel by delectable morsel. This book is purr-fect for giving its reader a serious case of the warm fuzzies for all things meow.



About Charles
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski (born as Heinrich Karl Bukowski) was a German-born American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles.It is marked by an emphasis on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women and the drudgery of work. Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over sixty books

Charles Bukowski was the only child of an American soldier and a German mother. At the age of three, he came with his family to the United States and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles City College from 1939 to 1941, then left school and moved to New York City to become a writer. His lack of publishing success at this time caused him to give up writing in 1946 and spurred a ten-year stint of heavy drinking. After he developed a bleeding ulcer, he decided to take up writing again. He worked a wide range of jobs to support his writing, including dishwasher, truck driver and loader, mail carrier, guard, gas station attendant, stock boy, warehouse worker, shipping clerk, post office clerk, parking lot attendant, Red Cross orderly, and elevator operator. He also worked in a dog biscuit factory, a slaughterhouse, a cake and cookie factory, and he hung posters in New York City subways.

Bukowski published his first story when he was twenty-four and began writing poetry at the age of thirty-five. His first book of poetry was published in 1959; he went on to publish more than forty-five books of poetry and prose, including Pulp (1994), Screams from the Balcony (1993), and The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992).

He died of leukemia in San Pedro on March 9, 1994.

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