Charles Bukowski

"I should think that many of our poets, the honest ones, will confess to having no manifesto. It is a painful confession but the art of poetry carries its own powers without having to break them down into critical listings. I do not mean that poetry should be raffish and irresponsible clown tossing off words into the void. But the very feeling of a good poem carries its own reason for being... Art is its own excuse, and it’s either Art or it’s something else. It’s either a poem or a piece of cheese."

3 likes

Source: Charles Bukowski (2015). “On Writing”, p.26, Canongate Books

About the author

Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski

Poet, Novelist

Charles Bukowski was an American poet and novelist known for his raw, unfiltered portrayal of life, particularly in works like 'Ham on Rye' and 'Post Office.'

All quotes by Charles Bukowski →

Same author

More quotes by Charles Bukowski

See all →
Charles Bukowski Poet, Novelist

"People are strange: They are constantly angered by trivial things, but on a major matter like totally wasting their lives, they hardly seem to notice."

Read quote
Charles Bukowski Poet, Novelist

"The problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole goddamned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidate who reminded them most of themselves."

Read quote