“The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates, bestselling author “He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriter The Pleasures of the Damned features selected later poetry of Charles Bukowski, America’s most influential poet. To his legions of fans, Charles Bukowski was—and remains—a counterculture icon. A hard-drinking wild man of literature, a stubborn outsider to the poetry world, he struck a chord with generations of readers, writing raw, tough poetry about booze, work, and women, that spoke to his fans as “real” and, like the work of the Beats, even dangerous. The Pleasures of the Damned is a selection of the best works of Bukowski’s later years, edited by John Martin of Black Sparrow Press, including the last of his new, never-before-published poems. “Wordsworth, Whitman, William Carlos Williams and the Beats in their respective generations moved poetry toward a more natural language. Bukowski moved it a little farther.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review 1994 “He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.” - Leonard Cohen “Charles Bukowski was a Titan--an artist who almost single handedly made the life of the poet--once again--a viable and even noble venture. Millions of people who might otherwise never have read a word of poetry were awakened to the possibilities and sheer power of the written word by his works. That his books remain among the most frequently shoplifted in the history of bookselling speaks well of his continuing appeal--a fact I’m sure would have pleased him. ” - Anthony Bourdain “Charles Bukowski is the Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.” - Joyce Carol Oates “Before I read Bukowski (I was eighteen years old at the time) I thought writing was bullshit. I read Catcher In The Rye and wondered what this boarding school kid had to do with me? I read Raymond Carver and wondered why anyone would care about four people sitting on a couch smoking pot (I’ve since developed a strong appreciation for Raymond Carver). Bukowski changed my life. He gave me permission to be honest and he taught me that it’s OK to write about yourself as long as you always remember that the reader doesn’t actually care about you. The reader is doing you a favor and you have to give something back. Those years I read everything Bukowski ever wrote- poems, stories, novels, essays. He was the first artist to have any effect on me. He made me want to be a writer and for that I’ll never forgive him.” - Stephen Elliott “Bukowski’s strength is in the sheer bulk of his contents, the virulent anecdotal sprawl, the melodic spleen without the fetor of the parlor or the classroom, as if he were writing while straddling a cement wall or sitting on a bar stool, the seat of which is made of thorns...“The Pleasures of the Damned” is…likely to stand as the definitive volume of Bukowski’s poems.” - New York Times Book Review “A trove of the best poems from a prolific poet...it reveals Bukowski in the many, often conflicting dimensions that make him such a popular, accessible, and yes, great artist…this extraordinary collection establishes Bukowski as much more than just another West Coast Beat poet. At last, maybe fans like me won’t have to apologize for ranking him among the best.” - Washington Post Book World “Billed as the last book with new Bukowski poems in it, this hefty collection also culls from his prior books, and it is all of a piece: the warnings about lost potency, the ironic takes on ailments of mind and body, the comradeship with everyone down at the heels, down on his luck, or down to his last shot of booze.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “This long and well-edited collection is likely to stand as the definitive volume of Bukowski’s poems.” - New York Times Book Review To his legions of fans, Charles Bukowski was—and remains—the quintessential counterculture icon. A hard-drinking wild man of literature and a stubborn outsider to the poetry world, he wrote unflinchingly about booze, work, and women, in raw, street-tough poems whose truth has struck a chord with generations of readers. Edited by John Martin, the legendary publisher of Black Sparrow Press and a close friend of Bukowski's, The Pleasures of the Damned is a selection of the best works from Bukowski's long poetic career, including the last of his never-before-collected poems. Celebrating the full range of the poet's extra-ordinary and surprising sensibility, and his uncompromising linguistic brilliance, these poems cover a rich lifetime of experiences and speak to Bukowski's "immense intelligence, the caring heart that saw through the sham of our pretenses and had pity on our human condition" ( The New York Quarterly ). The Pleasures of the Damned is an astonishing poetic treasure trove, essential reading for both longtime fans and those just discovering this unique and legendary American voice. Charles Bukowski  is one of America’s best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose and,