![]() ![]() ![]() While the book deals with much pathos Bukowski never loses his sense of humour and the ironic. This novel successfully presents the thoughts and motivations of a man drifting through life with the burden of alcohol addiction, and who, at the end of the day, has a real love for Betty, his first common-law wife, though he doesn’t realise it until it is tragically too late. Set in the 1960s it is understandable how Hank is not exactly the most PC person around, and how his attitude to women is not what one would expect from the “modern” man.Ĭhinaski’s career in the USPS and his relationships with women closely reflect Bukowski’s own life and the detailed descriptions of attitudes and procedures in the post office demonstrate the author’s intimate knowledge of the environment. We learn very early that Hank is an alcoholic with a liking for women and gambling at the racetrack. The story is narrated by the main character, Hank Chinaski. This could make my assessment somewhat skewed since much of the pleasure I took from the book was derived by my comparison of the US Post Office working environment with that of my own employer. I have to admit that my first motivation for reading this novel was that it’s set in the post office and I work on a postal organisation. ![]()
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