Nothing wrong with him that a detox facility and a bar of soap wouldn't have cured.

Not liking Bukowski in college meant you had to explain yourself. . .but I wasn't the biggest fan. Yes, the talent is there. ..but I didn't raise him to literary-god status that some of my classmates did. . .

Perhaps he's seen as overrated because of the all press he got following the release of Barfly. But if you read his poetry it's hard to miss the simplistic brilliance.

Definitely flawed, but in between all the booze, he has some very brilliant things to say.

I recommend his poem Style and his last poems before he died. Makes you think twice about the next time it's inconvenient or having a bad day because someone tailgated you. He made peace with himself in a world he knew could never change, and for those who could relate, and I'm not talking about being shortchanged at the grocery store, Buk made the world a more peaceful place to live. Don't try.

Man, I recently read Factotum and I learned one thing - apparently Bukowski liked to booze, and liked to booze a lot. It was a good read, primarily because it made me feel that A) I don't drink that much at all; and B) that I understand a little better some of the guys that live on my street (not live in houses on my street, actually live on my street). I'm not necessarily itching to read another Bukowski book, as I think I got his point, but I'm not sorry I read Factotum.

better than Jesus.

previously thought if you read one, you read them all but have since changed my mind. Not as big a fan of his prose but his poetry is beautifully simple. Down with Metaphors - they are for MFA dreary billy collins wannabes!

Generally over-rated although he has some flashes of brilliance.