🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski was an American author who passed away in 1994. By then, he had distinguished himself as one of the most intriguing poets of his generation. The author’s works always reflected his poor upbringing. +Biography Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany in 1920. His father took him to the United States when he was two-years-old. The pair did not have the best relationship. Bukowski’s father was certain that firm discipline had to be an essential aspect of his upbringing. As such, he saw fit to beat Bukowski for the smallest offenses. Bukowski said he received at least three beatings a weak. It didn’t help that Bukowski was such a shy child. His bad acne contributed to the author’s social anxiety. Not only did the boys bully him but the girls rejected him.
All Book Series by Charles Bukowski
Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness
Book 7 of 45 · published 1972
Poems written before jumping out of an 8 story window
Book 10 of 45 · published 1974
Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
Book 13 of 45 · published 1979
The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories
Book 15 of 45 · published 1983
You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense
Book 19 of 45 · published 1986
What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire
Book 27 of 45 · published 1999
Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way: New Poems Book 1
Book 30 of 45 · published 2002
Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way: New Poems Book 2
Book 31 of 45 · published 2002
Storm for the Living and the Dead
Latest in the series · book 45 of 45 · published 2017
All the Assholes in the World and Mine
Series opener · book 1 of 20 · published 1966
The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship
Book 7 of 20 · published 1998
The Mathematics of the Breath and the Way: On Writers and Writing
Book 19 of 20 · published 2018
Mondo Barbie
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1993 Anthology · John Varley,Lynne Barrett,Julia Alvarez,Philip Levine,A.M. Homes,David Trinidad,Sandra Cisneros,Marge Piercy,Gary Soto,Roberta Allen,Alice McDermott,Hilary Tham,Lyn Lifshin,Rebecca Brown,Denise Duhamel,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Jeanne Beaumont,Lynne McMahon,Kathryn Harrison,Patricia Storace,Richard Grayson,Leslie Shiel,Laura Costas,Sharon Henry,Cookie Lupton,Lisa B. Herskovits,Belinda Subraman,Ellie Schoenfeld,Sparrow .,Gregg Shapiro,Cathryn Hankla,Wayne E. Kline,Jose Padua,Jeff Weddle
Mondo Elvis
Book 2 of 4 · published 1994 Anthology · Howard Waldrop,Cornelius Eady,Mark Childress,Susie Mee,Nick Cave,Mark Winegardner,Rafael Alvarez,Greil Marcus,Pagan Kennedy,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Lynne McMahon,Cathryn Hankla,Samuel Charters,Rachel Salazar,Eleanor Earle Crockett,Diane Wakoski,Judy Vernon,David Wojahn,William McCranor Henderson,Janice Eidus,Elizabeth Ash Vélez,Laura Kalpakian,Eri Makino,Ai,Michael Wilkerson,Brian Gilmore
Mondo James Dean
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 1996 Anthology · Lewis Shiner,Jack C. Haldeman II,Bentley Little,Michael Hemmingson,Chuck Taylor,Michael Martone,Louisa Ermelino,Terence Winch,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Sparrow .,Janice Eidus,Ai,Tino Villanueva,Edwin Corley,Robert Ready,Reuben Jackson,Stephanie Hart,D.E. Steward,David Plumb,Ed Graczyk,Hilary Howard,James Finney Boylan,Miranda Schwartz
First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1994
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Charles Bukowski?
Charles Bukowski was an American author who passed away in 1994. By then, he had distinguished himself as one of the most intriguing poets of his generation. The author’s works always reflected his poor upbringing. +Biography Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany in 1920.
Which Charles Bukowski series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Mondo series, the earliest of Charles Bukowski's multi-book series: it opens with Mondo Barbie (1993) and runs to 4 books across 1993–1996, ending with Mondo James Dean (1996).
How many books has Charles Bukowski written?
Charles Bukowski has 84 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1962 and 2019. 4 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Mondo series with 4 books — and 80 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Charles Bukowski's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Charles Bukowski's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Mondo (1993–1996, 4 books).
How are Charles Bukowski's books organised into series?
This guide splits Charles Bukowski's 84 books into 1 named series and 80 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Mondo (4 books, 1993–1996).