Charles Bukowski’s guide to writing and life

Martin Chilton in The Telegraph:

“I am a dangerous man when turned loose with a typewriter,” said Charles Bukowski, the author of more than 40 books of poetry, prose and novels, including Ham on Rye and Post Office. Bukowski used his poetry and prose to depict the depravity of urban life in America. He was also an avid reader. A new book called Charles Bukowski: On Writing features previously unpublished letters. Here are 12 things we learned from them:

And don't look ahead

“The future's only a bad hunch; Shakespeare told us that.”

. . . or become famous

“Fame + immortality are games for other people. If we're not recognised when we walk down the street, that's our luck . . . getting famous when you're in your twenties is a very difficult thing to overcome. When you get half-famous when you're over 60, it's easier to make adjustments. Old Ez Pound used to say, 'Do your work'.”

Forget worrying

“Good and evil and right and wrong keep changing; it's a climate rather than a law (moral). I'd rather stay with the climates.”

More here.