The People Look Like Flowers At Last

“if you read this after I am dead It means I made it” -“The Creation Coffin” The People Look like Flowers at Last is the last of five collections of never-before published poetry from the late great Dirty Old Man, Charles Bukowski. In it, he speaks on topics ranging from horse racing to military elephants, lost love to the fear of death.  He writes extensively about writing, and about talking to people about writers such as Camus, Hemingway, and Stein.  He writes about war and fatherhood and cats and women. Free from the pressure to present a consistent persona, these poems present less of an aggressively disruptive character, and more a world-weary and empathetic person. This final collection offers a rare look into Bukowski’s unfiltered world: Raw and Honest Writing: Unflinching poems on love, loss, death, and survival, pulled from the depths of Bukowski’s final years. The Dirty Old Man Persona: Glimpses of the iconic, hard-drinking poet alongside a quieter, more world-weary and empathetic man few ever saw. Everyday Life and Literature: Meditations on horse racing and hangovers sit side-by-side with thoughts on Hemingway, Camus, and the brutal craft of writing. Iconic American Poetry: The definitive last word from the counter-culture legend, completing a lifetime of work that redefined the genre.