Book Review: Post Office was Charles Bukowski's first novel, at age 50. Here he introduced the adventures of his alter ego, Henry Chinaski, an alcoholic working man who pursues the poor man's pleasures of drink, sex, smoking, and horse racing, and endures the necessary evil of employment. Unlike so many novels and films in which no one ever seems to have to work for a living, in Post Office survival is a daily challenge. Bukowski presents the reality of the unnatural nature of work in America and the desperation it creates. Crushing job requirements, vicious bosses, excruciating boredom, endless hours, with no safety net, all resulting in workers being driven round the bend. Working life is presented in a series of painful anecdotes, episodes, vignettes, and the realistic depiction of work is my favorite part of Post Office. Of course, Chinaski could have made his life easier by conforming, but that's not his style. Although Chinaski is not above quitting a job on principle, eventually even he has to re-enter the rat race. The book isn't all about work, life goes on: babies are born, people have sex, get married, people die. In the life of Henry Chinaski, Post Office fits between Factotum and Women. Yes, it's sexist, profane, occasionally violent, and Chinaski is a mess of a man, but that's life and that's the charm of this dirty, drunken, sprawling, wreck of a novel. [4 Stars]
I think Bukowski was one of those writers who captured a picture of America, including sexism, violence and the rest of it.
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