Charles Bukowski — Writer
Creative
Charles Bukowski, Writer from the United States

Charles Bukowski Quotes

Writer

Charles Bukowski was writer from the United States

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What matters is not what happened to you. What matters is how you walked through the fire.
Charles Bukowski

This line comes from Bukowski's posthumous poetry collection, which became the book's title. He knew what he was talking about: ten years of drinking, nearly dying from an ulcer, eleven years at the post office, a violent childhood. He didn't go around the fire. He walked through it and wrote about all of it.

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Legacy

San Pedro

Bukowski died on March 9, 1994, from leukemia in San Pedro, Los Angeles. He was 73. His headstone reads: Don't try. He sold millions of books, especially in Europe, where he was loved more than in America. The man who spent ten years drinking instead of writing became one of the most-read poets of the 20th century.

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