Was Bukowski a Sexist?
A sexist or an emotional cripple?
To give you a brief and straightforward answer, I will say no. What deeply troubles me is the fact that these days, if a book has more than one female character presented in a bad way it's sexism. If the protagonist uses a woman just for sex or God forbid, beats a woman, again, it’s sexism. Writing about whores, promiscuous women, and men who are violent and have only shallow relationships does not make you sexist any more than writing about serial killers makes you a serial killer.
Many people say that Bukowski is an author who struggles to develop female characters with personalities and motivations. But to me, that “inability” is not a manifestation of sexism or misogyny but one sad and deeply wounded man who is crippled by the inability to develop a deeper relationship with women.
Bukowski wrote about hitting his girlfriend Jane several times. Again, I will dare to say, it’s not sexism but weakness. Is it right to equalize rage ensuing from the painful wounds with misogyny and sexism?
Bukowski Loved Hard
Bukowski loved a woman named Jane. She died in 1962 of complications ensuing from her alcoholism. She inspired many poems and characters in Bukowski’s novels. In the movie “Barfly ” Jane was played by Faye Dunaway.
Bukowski said he could “hear Jane now” laughing at the fact that the production decided she should be played by a beautiful movie star. Inspired, Bukowski wrote, “Jane, that’s show biz, so go back to sleep, dear, because no matter how hard they tried they just couldn’t find anybody exactly like you. And neither can I.”
Father Abused Him
Bukowski had a cruel father who abused him hard. In “Ham on Rye,” the protagonist’s father beats his son with a wooden board for not mowing the lawn properly. The beating continues inside the house with a razor strop. And let me tell you something, “Ham on Rye” is a biography.
Click here to read it.
