On Cats audiobook

I love cats and I love Bukowski and so it was natural that I loved this book! I didn’t even know it existed until I saw it at the library and then of course I had to borrow it. I particularly loved the photos of Bukowski and his cats. Also the way he talks about his own cats, his love for them and their personalities.

A book of Bukowski's short pieces and poetry all about his love of cats? Admittedly I was sold before I cracked a page. Bukowski's love and admiration for his feline friends shines through every page and it's easy to see why. His rough-and-tumble group of strays share so many of the writers traits it's no wonder they gravitated toward one another. It was wonderful reading from this softer side of a man who is widely remembered as a gruff, alcohol loving womanizer. I thought I couldn't love the man anymore then I already do and then suddenly he's a sweet, feline lovin' softie! I hope in the end Bukowski got his wish and moved on from his human life and into his next as a cat.*Thank you Ecco and Edelweiss for this review copy

The Beautiful DevilCharles Bukowski (1920 -- 1994) was once an underground, cult figure but his reputation has grown since his death. His poetry, novels, and stories continue to be read and a steady stream of his writings has been published posthumously. "On Cats" is part of a trilogy of recent Bukowski books, together with "On Writing" and "On Love" edited by Abel Debritto, a Fulbright scholar and the author of the study "Charles Bukowski: King of the Underground". It is a good addition to the large body of Bukowski's writing.The book consists of poems and short prose works about cats. Many of the works have been published before in other forms, but the specific texts in this book are each published for the first time. Debritto gives a useful list of sources at the end of the volume. For example, one of the best works in this collection is a poem called "The Mockingbird" which is about a mockingbird which receives an unhappy comeuppance after taunting a cat. This is one of Bukowski's best-known poems and appears in a collection titled "Mockingbird Wish Me Luck." The version in "On Cats" is basically identical to the published version, but it includes two words that were deleted when the poem reached its final form. Some of the works in this book, however, are published for the first time. The book also includes photographs of many of the cats Bukowski and his wife owned and loved over the years who are the subjects of some of the poems in this collection.Readers familiar with Bukowski will not be surprised at his love for cats. In this book, cats are not sentimentalized and portrayed as furry, sweet little creatures. Many of the works, such as "The Mockingbird" show the hard, cruel side of cats as they pursue and kill birds. The book sometimes emphasizes cats as loners and as coming off the streets, characteristics of Bukowski himself. The book suggests that cats are comfortable with themselves, feel no guilt, and know how to relax by sleeping as much as twenty hours in a day. In the book's concluding poem, Bukowski states: "I study these/creatures./they are my/teachers."On of the prose entries in the book is an excerpt from a 1960 letter Bukowski wrote to Sheri Martinelli. Bukowski says "[t]he cat is the beautiful devil." He continues his discussion of the cat;"There are no spirits or gods in a cat, don't look for them, Shed. A cat is the picture of the eternal machinery, like the sea. You don't pet the sea because it's pretty but you pet a cat -- why?-- ONLY BECAUSE HE''LL LET YOU. And a cat never knows fear--finally -- he only winds up into the spring of the sea and the rock, and even in a death-fight he does not think of anything except the majesty of darkness."With this posthumous book Bukowski joins poets including T.S. Elliott who have written a volume devoted to cats. This book will interest the growing group of Bukowski readers. It will also interest lovers of cats who are willing to hear a unique, tough-minded voice about their favorite animal.Robin Friedman

Video ReviewI show what this book looks like on the link above and read my favourite poem.--{original}--Favourite Poem: looking at the cat's ballsCame here to laugh, and I did, but there are some great poems and stories here. Pleasantly surprised. Video review coming soon.

"In my next life I want to be a cat. To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed. To sit around licking my ass.”  I really enjoyed this book! Cat lovers of all kinds will surely appreciate this, but even if you're not a cat person, this wonderful book is worth reading!

I like the Bukowski cat poems. And here you get them all together with photos of his cats and cat excerpts from his prose. I also like the Bukowski poems that aren't very good, and he tells you they're not very good, and that's the epitome of not giving a fuck and is therefore ultimately very cat-like too. remember thatthere is acatsomewhereadjusting to thespace of itselfwith a delightfulwonderment ofeasiness.

i ghost wrote this

The Mockingbirdthe mockingbird had been following the catall summermocking mocking mockingteasing and cocksure;the cat crawled under rockers on porchestail flashingand said something very angry to the mockingbirdwhich I didn’t understand.yesterday the cat walked calmly up the drivewaywith the mockingbird alive in its mouth,wings fanned, beautiful wings fanned and flopping,feathers parted like a woman’s legs in sex,and the bird was no longer mocking,it was asking, it was prayingbut the catstriding down through centurieswould not listen.I saw it crawl under a yellow carwith the birdto bargain it to another place.summer was over.Warm Lightalonetonightin this house,alone with6 catswho tell mewithouteffortall that thereisto know.

This excerpt from one poem says it all:nothing againstBeethoven:he did finefor what hewasbut I wouldn't wanthimon my rugwith one leg over his headwhilehe waslickinghis balls.

smash

“Animals are inspirational. They don’t know how to lie. They are natural forces. TV can make me ill in five minutes, but I can look at an animal for hours and find nothing but grace and glory, life as it should be.”

Made me want to get 3-5 more cats.