“And then she would smile, to show me how, and it was the saddest smile I ever saw.”

German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer

Charles Bukowski was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. He became closely associated with Los Angeles, the city he made his home, and his work reflects that setting and its pressures. His writing focuses on the lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the grind of work. He wrote with direct attention to everyday hardship and the conditions that shaped it.