First published 1973
In a haze of dive bars and cheap motels, Bukowski's outcasts drift through life on the fringes. A broke bartender chases his next drink. A bored office drone seeks connection in fleeting encounters. A jaded writer battles his demons through booze and brawls. These are the stories of the dispossessed, the lonely, the perpetually hungover – all trying to find meaning in the bottom of a glass. But beneath the grit and grind, Bukowski illuminates the fragile humanity of his characters, the moments of grace that sustain them.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, gritty, intimate
Tropes: character-study, slice-of-life
Setting: United States
Period: 20th-Century
192 pages · Paperback · Ecco
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, substance-abuse