jomanara_'s review against another edition
3.0
Well, the first thing I read by Bukowski, a unique style of writing, a countless downfalls for Chinaski. To be honest, I was waiting for him to die at the end of the book, so it was an unexpected ending. It has some of the craziness in the 60s.
monica_heim's review against another edition
4.0
What a real glimpse into drudgery that seemingly never ends. This felt very real and very sad and somehow funny and enjoyable.
livist's review against another edition
3.0
This was…okay.
I think Bukowski’s writing style is direct and accessible. A dash of absurdist in there. If it weren’t for the writing style I would have abandoned this book.
I tried to find the purpose of this book; it’s more of a slice of life kind of deal. It feels as aimless as the main character at times. It seemed like too much of a good thing can turn bad. The consistency of stable work is hard to cope with as it doesn’t allow for much outside of work, which is depressing. A clever little ending though.
Our tragic hero often succumbs to his self destructive tendencies and alcoholism. He seems to so blasé about everything really. I think it’s one of those books where you’re not really supposed to be fond of the main character but empathize with him generally enough. While not annoying per se, but aggravating, I didn’t feel super attached to him. He has a strong work ethic, which is the main thing that keeps him afloat and his best redeeming quality. Definitely some satire/commentary on capitalism and drudgery of life as a consequence of capitalism mixed into the book, especially at the end.
My biggest gripe is the objectification of women. Literally every woman described by her breasts or ass. Apparently this dude is so sexually appealing, he often has a sexual rendezvous when he wants to.
I think generally I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t say I would recommend it to anyone. There are some redeeming qualities, again the writing style was direct in the best way.
I think Bukowski’s writing style is direct and accessible. A dash of absurdist in there. If it weren’t for the writing style I would have abandoned this book.
I tried to find the purpose of this book; it’s more of a slice of life kind of deal. It feels as aimless as the main character at times. It seemed like too much of a good thing can turn bad. The consistency of stable work is hard to cope with as it doesn’t allow for much outside of work, which is depressing. A clever little ending though.
Our tragic hero often succumbs to his self destructive tendencies and alcoholism. He seems to so blasé about everything really. I think it’s one of those books where you’re not really supposed to be fond of the main character but empathize with him generally enough. While not annoying per se, but aggravating, I didn’t feel super attached to him. He has a strong work ethic, which is the main thing that keeps him afloat and his best redeeming quality. Definitely some satire/commentary on capitalism and drudgery of life as a consequence of capitalism mixed into the book, especially at the end.
My biggest gripe is the objectification of women. Literally every woman described by her breasts or ass. Apparently this dude is so sexually appealing, he often has a sexual rendezvous when he wants to.
I think generally I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t say I would recommend it to anyone. There are some redeeming qualities, again the writing style was direct in the best way.
lpjdamen's review against another edition
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
robertkhorsand's review against another edition
3.0
English Edition (No spoilers):
The Post Office is Charles Bukowski's first work, and it is also the first book I read from him. I have no prior knowledge of Bukowski, but if I were to write something about him and his style after reading this book, I would say: Bukowski is a writer who knows very well about debauchery, lustfulness, vagrancy, personal decay, and despair.
Read Chinaski and get to know Bukowski. The main character of the story is named Chinaski, but that character is actually Bukowski himself. Not only the name, but also the events portrayed in the story, are the author's own fictionalised retelling of his everyday life. Bukowski began working at the Post Office as a letter carrier in 1952. After nearly three years, in 1955, he resigned due to a stomach ulcer. After resigning, he turned to gambling to sustain his livelihood, and later he attempted to return to his beloved job, but this time not as a letter carrier but in another position at the Post Office. He worked there for a while before finally resigning for good in 1969 and submitting his final resignation to the government.
Joyce is actually Barbara (Bukowski's first wife). In the book, as we read, Chinaski marries a wealthy woman named Joyce who is suffering from nymphomania. Nymphomania is a sexual disorder in which a woman has an excessive and persistent desire for sexual intercourse. I had watched a good film called "Nymphomaniac" about this issue years ago. The parts in the book that dealt with their relationship were the most intriguing parts of this book.
Bukowski's writing style is raw and naked. For me, who had read Nabokov's interviews about his creation "Lolita," the content of this book was odd! Nabokov didn't include any explicit sexual scenes in "Lolita" and stated that if his story had become tainted with such scenes, it wouldn't have been granted a publishing licence in the United States. But now I see that Bukowski's book got the approval!
Final summary: It wasn't a remarkable work, and I didn't expect much from it either. Usually, when I start reading a writer's works, I go for their best piece, but I had no information about Bukowski, so I ended up starting with his first work. In this work, instead of brilliance and creativity, all I saw was the author's exposed private part!
-------------------------------------------------
نسخهی فارسی (فاقد محتوای افشا کننده):
ادارهی پست، نخستین اثر چارلز بوکوفسکی و همچنین نخستین کتابیست که از او خواندم.
من شناختی از بوکوفسکی ندارم، اما اگر بخواهم پس از این کتاب در وصف او و قلمش چیزی بنویسم، میگویم:
بوکوفسکی نویسندهایست که کلهخرابی، شهوترانی، ولگردی، زوال شخصیت و فرومایگی را بسیار خوب میشناسد.
بخوانید چیناسکی و بدانید بوکوفسکی.
شخصیت اصلی داستان، چیناسکی نام دارد، اما آن شخصیت خود واقعی بوکوفسکی است. البته نه فقط نام، بلکه وقایعی که به شکل داستان درآمده، وقایعنگاری نویسنده از زندگی روزمرهی او میباشد. بوکوفسکی از سال ۱۹۵۲ در ادارهی پست به عنوان نامهرسان با یک گاری مشغول رساندن نامهها شد. او پس از نزدیک به سه سال، در سال ۱۹۵۵ به بیماری زخم معده مبتلا شد و از کارش استعفا داد. پس از استعفا برای تامین مخارج زندگی به قمار و شرطبندی روی آورد و مدتی بعد نیز سعی کرد به شغل محبوب خود بازگردد و اینبار نه به عنوان نامهرسان بلکه شغلی دیگر در ادارهی پست گرفت و مشغول به کار شد و نهایتا در سال ۱۹۶۹ برای همیشه از این شغل دل کند و استعفای نهایی خود را تقدیم دولت نمود.
جویس همان باربارا(همسر نخست بوکوفسکی) است.
در کتاب به شکلی که میخوانیم چیناسکی با زنی ثروتمند به نام جویس ازدواج میکند که مبتلا به نیمفومنیاست.
نیمفومنیا یک بیماری جنسیست که در آن زن به شکل افراطی نیاز مداوم به برقراری رابطهی جنسی دارد و سالها قبل فیلم خوبی به نام «نیمفومنیاک» در این رابطه تماشا کرده بودم. بخشهایی که در باب رابطهی این دو در کتاب آمده بود جذابترین بخش این کتاب بود.
قلم بوکوفسکی لخت و عریان است.
برای من که مصاحبه ناباکف در باب مخلوقش لولیتا را خوانده بودم، محتوای این کتاب عجیب بود! ناباکف در لولیتا به صحنههای جنسی ورود نکرد و میگفت در صورتی که داستانش آلوده به صحنههای جنسی میشد در ایالات متحده مجوز چاپ نمیگرفت، اما حالا میبینم کتاب بوکوفسکی مجوز گرفت!
ادارهی پست، آنچنان را آنچنانتر نمیکند.
اثر خاصی نبود و البته انتظاری هم از آن نداشتم. معمولا به عنوان آغاز خوانش یک نویسنده به سراغ بهترین اثر او میروم اما از بوکوفسکی دادهای در اختیار نداشتم و این شد که به سراغ اولین اثر او رفتم، و در این اثر به جای نبوغ و خلاقیت، تنها آلت برافروختهی نویسنده را دیدم!
حرف آخر
با توجه به محتوای کتاب و شناختی که از سانسورچی در ایران دارم، توصیه میکنم اگر جایی ترجمهای از این کتاب دیدید، از خریداری آن خودداری کنند.
فایل ایپاب کتاب را در کانال تلگرام آپلود نمودهام، در صورت نیاز میتوانید آنرا از لینک زیر دانلود نمایید:
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/674
هشتم شهریورماه یکهزار و چهارصد و دو
ویرایش شده (افزودن ریویوی انگلیسی) مورخ بیست و هفتم آبان یکهزار و چهارصد و دو
The Post Office is Charles Bukowski's first work, and it is also the first book I read from him. I have no prior knowledge of Bukowski, but if I were to write something about him and his style after reading this book, I would say: Bukowski is a writer who knows very well about debauchery, lustfulness, vagrancy, personal decay, and despair.
Read Chinaski and get to know Bukowski. The main character of the story is named Chinaski, but that character is actually Bukowski himself. Not only the name, but also the events portrayed in the story, are the author's own fictionalised retelling of his everyday life. Bukowski began working at the Post Office as a letter carrier in 1952. After nearly three years, in 1955, he resigned due to a stomach ulcer. After resigning, he turned to gambling to sustain his livelihood, and later he attempted to return to his beloved job, but this time not as a letter carrier but in another position at the Post Office. He worked there for a while before finally resigning for good in 1969 and submitting his final resignation to the government.
Joyce is actually Barbara (Bukowski's first wife). In the book, as we read, Chinaski marries a wealthy woman named Joyce who is suffering from nymphomania. Nymphomania is a sexual disorder in which a woman has an excessive and persistent desire for sexual intercourse. I had watched a good film called "Nymphomaniac" about this issue years ago. The parts in the book that dealt with their relationship were the most intriguing parts of this book.
Bukowski's writing style is raw and naked. For me, who had read Nabokov's interviews about his creation "Lolita," the content of this book was odd! Nabokov didn't include any explicit sexual scenes in "Lolita" and stated that if his story had become tainted with such scenes, it wouldn't have been granted a publishing licence in the United States. But now I see that Bukowski's book got the approval!
Final summary: It wasn't a remarkable work, and I didn't expect much from it either. Usually, when I start reading a writer's works, I go for their best piece, but I had no information about Bukowski, so I ended up starting with his first work. In this work, instead of brilliance and creativity, all I saw was the author's exposed private part!
-------------------------------------------------
نسخهی فارسی (فاقد محتوای افشا کننده):
ادارهی پست، نخستین اثر چارلز بوکوفسکی و همچنین نخستین کتابیست که از او خواندم.
من شناختی از بوکوفسکی ندارم، اما اگر بخواهم پس از این کتاب در وصف او و قلمش چیزی بنویسم، میگویم:
بوکوفسکی نویسندهایست که کلهخرابی، شهوترانی، ولگردی، زوال شخصیت و فرومایگی را بسیار خوب میشناسد.
بخوانید چیناسکی و بدانید بوکوفسکی.
شخصیت اصلی داستان، چیناسکی نام دارد، اما آن شخصیت خود واقعی بوکوفسکی است. البته نه فقط نام، بلکه وقایعی که به شکل داستان درآمده، وقایعنگاری نویسنده از زندگی روزمرهی او میباشد. بوکوفسکی از سال ۱۹۵۲ در ادارهی پست به عنوان نامهرسان با یک گاری مشغول رساندن نامهها شد. او پس از نزدیک به سه سال، در سال ۱۹۵۵ به بیماری زخم معده مبتلا شد و از کارش استعفا داد. پس از استعفا برای تامین مخارج زندگی به قمار و شرطبندی روی آورد و مدتی بعد نیز سعی کرد به شغل محبوب خود بازگردد و اینبار نه به عنوان نامهرسان بلکه شغلی دیگر در ادارهی پست گرفت و مشغول به کار شد و نهایتا در سال ۱۹۶۹ برای همیشه از این شغل دل کند و استعفای نهایی خود را تقدیم دولت نمود.
جویس همان باربارا(همسر نخست بوکوفسکی) است.
در کتاب به شکلی که میخوانیم چیناسکی با زنی ثروتمند به نام جویس ازدواج میکند که مبتلا به نیمفومنیاست.
نیمفومنیا یک بیماری جنسیست که در آن زن به شکل افراطی نیاز مداوم به برقراری رابطهی جنسی دارد و سالها قبل فیلم خوبی به نام «نیمفومنیاک» در این رابطه تماشا کرده بودم. بخشهایی که در باب رابطهی این دو در کتاب آمده بود جذابترین بخش این کتاب بود.
قلم بوکوفسکی لخت و عریان است.
برای من که مصاحبه ناباکف در باب مخلوقش لولیتا را خوانده بودم، محتوای این کتاب عجیب بود! ناباکف در لولیتا به صحنههای جنسی ورود نکرد و میگفت در صورتی که داستانش آلوده به صحنههای جنسی میشد در ایالات متحده مجوز چاپ نمیگرفت، اما حالا میبینم کتاب بوکوفسکی مجوز گرفت!
ادارهی پست، آنچنان را آنچنانتر نمیکند.
اثر خاصی نبود و البته انتظاری هم از آن نداشتم. معمولا به عنوان آغاز خوانش یک نویسنده به سراغ بهترین اثر او میروم اما از بوکوفسکی دادهای در اختیار نداشتم و این شد که به سراغ اولین اثر او رفتم، و در این اثر به جای نبوغ و خلاقیت، تنها آلت برافروختهی نویسنده را دیدم!
حرف آخر
با توجه به محتوای کتاب و شناختی که از سانسورچی در ایران دارم، توصیه میکنم اگر جایی ترجمهای از این کتاب دیدید، از خریداری آن خودداری کنند.
فایل ایپاب کتاب را در کانال تلگرام آپلود نمودهام، در صورت نیاز میتوانید آنرا از لینک زیر دانلود نمایید:
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/674
هشتم شهریورماه یکهزار و چهارصد و دو
ویرایش شده (افزودن ریویوی انگلیسی) مورخ بیست و هفتم آبان یکهزار و چهارصد و دو
mixedblessings89's review against another edition
2.0
TRIGGER WARNING: At least one rape. The narrator rapes and gets raped. No idea what to say about this book... 2.5.
jarthur's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
erikleest's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75