Charles Bukowski, American Author

Prolific and influential 20th-century poet, short story writer, and novelist

Meet Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski was born in Germany, shortly after World War I, to a German mother and an American soldier father. When he was two years old, he and his parents boarded a ship and sailed to the United States, where they settled in Los Angeles, California, near Bukowski's father's family.

Shortly after America joined World War II, Bukowski left Los Angeles and traveled around the country, spending extended periods in Philadelphia and New Orleans. During his travels, he occasionally returned to Los Angeles, but in 1947, he returned permanently and lived there for the rest of his life.

While "on the road," Story magazine published Bukowski for the first time. He was 24 years old, primarily a short story writer who only occasionally wrote poetry. But a decade later, in 1954, that would change after he suffered an internal hemorrhage that nearly killed him and spent nine days in Los Angeles County Hospital. After that experience, he began writing much more poetry and became one of the most unique and influential voices in 20th-century American poetry.

Ultimately, Bukowski is perhaps more well-known for his novels, such as Post Office, Factotum, Women, and Ham on Rye, than for his poetry. But even while working on novels, he continued to write poetry and short stories. Throughout his lifetime, Bukowski wrote over 5,000 poems and stories.

While Charles Bukowski died on March 9, 1994, his influence on modern poetry continues to be felt, despite his epitaph: Don't try.

In the aftermath of Bukowski's death

After Bukowski's death, Black Sparrow Press continued to release new poetry collections. The posthumous collections were considered by many to be lesser works, lacking the grit, impact, and voice of the poems published during his lifetime. However, comparing Bukowski's original manuscripts to the work in the posthumous collections, it becomes apparent that Bukowski's then-editor made wide-reaching changes to rid the work of any mentions of drinking, drugs, sex, or madness; common themes in Bukowski's work.

Our comprehensive Bukowski database contains:

• 5508 total works (4720 unique works, 788 alternate titles or versions, 520 unpublished works)
• 4906 poems
• 560 stories
• 5250 works in 133 books
• 2958 works in 1417 magazines
• 57 broadsides
• 1583 poem manuscripts
• 264 letter manuscripts
• 43 releases of 21 different recording sessions or readings
• 868 links to scans of unpublished or uncollected work and first magazine appearances in the Bukowski forum



Database last updated on January 1st, 2026