Curation #101 from my Kerouac bookshelf: Loving and Hating Charles Bukowski by Linda King

Item #101 in my Kerouac bookshelf curation project is this paperback 2010 Kiss Kill Press first edition (no printing number) of Linda King's Loving and Hating Charles Bukowski. 288 pages, it measures about 6" x 9" and is in very good condition. The provenance is that I traded books with the author, who signed and inscribed the title page.

First things first. Why is this on my Kerouac bookshelf, given that Bukowski is not considered a Beat writer? Well, it is a multivariate answer. First, my friend and Kerouac biographer Gerry Nicosia suggested I get in touch with the author about her book. Second, Bukowski certainly lived what could be considered a Beat lifestyle. Third, he was a contemporary of the Beats (born two years before Kerouac). Fourth, his writing probably appeals to some fans of Beat literature. Finally, I had to have somewhere to shelve the book and my Kerouac bookshelf was accepting new items at the time.

As far as the book goes, I wrote an extensive review of it on December 2, 2012, which you can read by clicking here. I really liked this book a lot as my review indicates. Bukowski was a talented and complex guy, and Linda captures his essence in this provocative memoir.







Below is a picture of Shelf #3 of my Kerouac bookshelf showing the placement of this book (21st from the left) on the day I started curating my collection. Next up: Blaming Japhy Ryder: Memoir of a Dharma Bum Who Survived by Philip A. Bralich, Ph.D.

Shelf #3 of my Kerouac bookshelf