post office

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, because it's often listed as an influence by authors of all kinds. I'm not sure what I was expecting but Post Office was alright. It was published a long time ago, so any groundbreaking elements have long been eroded by what's come after. Still, it is extremely readable and chugs along at a relatively fast pace. It's also quite relatable, for anybody who's ever been forced to hold a shitty job. (Thankfully, I've never had to deliver mail in a flood zone but as a former fry cook, high highs and low lows are just part of these jobs.)

As a queer person, it's a fascinating look into how straight people... tangle. The way women seem to flock to Chinaski, a man of questionable charm, is intriguing. I'm not saying he has no redeeming qualities, just that I'm not sure what any of his women saw in him. As endings go, Post Office's ending is kind of a non-ending, hinting at how lost people will always remain lost and end up making more lost people. (We can't be sure what sort of person baby Chinaski will grow up to become, of course.)

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Post Office is how it intersects with real life. Jane Cooney Baker was the real Betty, a widowed alcoholic 11 years older than Bukowski and the love of his life. Was Betty's sadness and her decision to slowly off herself by drink avoidable, with what help was available during her lifetime? We will never know. Another interesting tidbid is how Post Office was cranked out in a year after Bukowski had quit being a postal worker, after getting an offer at age 49 from Black Sparrow Press. This makes me wonder how much of Post Office's material was written when Bukowski was 49, or whether it was cobbled together from material through the years.

I'm glad I read Post Office but it's unlikely I will reread this. Not ruling out any other Bukowski books though!