"Pulp" by Charles Bukowski is a detective story (and a sharp departure from his usual autobiographical fiction). It showcases Bukowski's distinctive voice and dark humor while exploring the conventions of the genre. Set in the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles and delivered through a cynical lens, it’s classic noir with a cast of eccentric characters and seedy environments. Bukowski's prose is raw and unapologetic, filled with sharp observations and exacting wit. He skillfully satirizes the tropes of detective fiction while infusing the narrative with his own brand of existential despair. While "Pulp" may not be as revered as Bukowski's more autobiographical works like "Post Office" or "Ham on Rye," it offers a unique glimpse into his versatility as a writer. Fans of Bukowski's gritty realism and dark humor will appreciate this offbeat exploration of the detective genre. ( )

Il voto si riferisce alla traduzione, non al libro.

Ecco quache esempio, con la mia ipotetica ricostruzione dell'originale inglese.

"Sul serio, voglio dire, semplicemente non era leale" (p. 2)
Really, I mean, it just wasn't fair

"Smettila di guardare fisso, per favore" (p. 2)
Please stop staring

Bah :p ( )

انگار این کتاب آخرین کتاب چارلز بوکفسکی بوده و حس بیماری و مرگ کتاب در جریان هستش که من راحت نبودم باهاش.
اما بعضی برشای کتاب رو دوست داشتم:

صبر کردیم و صبر کردیم. همه‌مان. آیا دکتر نمی‌دانست یکی از چیزهایی که آدم را دیوانه می‌کند همین انتظارکشیدن است؟ مردم تمام عمرشان انتظار می‌کشیدند. انتظار می‌کشیدند که زندگی کنند، انتظار می‌کشیدند که بمیرند. توی صف انتظار می‌کشیدند تا کاغذتوالت بخرند. توی صف برای پول منتظر می‌ماندند و اگر پولی در کار نبود، سراغ صف‌های درازتر می‌رفتند. صبر می‌کردی که خوابت ببرد و بعد هم صبر می‌کردی تا بیدار شوی. انتظار می‌کشیدی که ازدواج کنی و بعد هم منتظر طلاق‌گرفتن می‌شدی. منتظر باران می‌شدی و بعد هم صبر می‌کردی تا بند بیاید. منتظر غذاخوردن می‌شدی و وقتی سیر می‌شدی باز هم صبر می‌کردی تا نوبت دوباره به خوردن برسد. توی مطبِ روان‌پزشک با بقیه‌ی روانی‌ها انتظار می‌کشیدی و‌ نمی‌دانستی آیا تو هم جزء آنها هستی یا نه. ( )

På något bisarrt sätt får Bukowski ihop denna kioskdeckare. Trots inslag av utomjordingar, vålnader och vanliga dödliga- Inte Buks bästa med klart läsvärd. ( )

Following my recent trend the next book up had to be fiction and it was a toss up between a few books. Pulp by Charles Bukowski won and so I threw it into my work bag ready to read my first Bukowski book. As is fairly usual for me, I had no prior knowledge of the plot and bought this purely as an introduction to his work.

I guess this book probably falls into the novella category as it is only about 180 pages. I'll start with the things that I enjoyed. I really liked the fact that the story is a very stereotyped private detective story. It really conjures up images of smokey offices, long trench coats, rain soaked streets and beautiful mysterious women. The characters have very fitting names for the kind of story such as Nicky Belane. One thing that really jumped out at me was chapter 10 which consists of the line

"Skip the rest of the day and night here, no action, it's not worth talking about."

I don't know why this stuck in my head but it did. Real life is just like this at times, nothing much happens and it really isn't worth talking about. There are some really crazy things that happen. For example space aliens who can change how they appear to humans feature in the story really unexpectedly.

Despite this the book failed to really grab me. I would love to be able to explain why but I guess its just one of those books that don't work for me. In places I found my attention wandering off what I was reading and I had to really make an effort to concentrate. In the end I thought the book was OK and I shall read some more Bukowski in the future as this hasn't put me off. ( )