GH O TI
f
i sh
Issue No. 2
The Flash of
Lightning Behind the Mountain
|
“The Flash of Lightning
Behind the Mountain,” Charles Bukowski, (2004),
Harper Collins, NY. ISBN: 0060577010 $27.50 A decade after his
death, Charles Bukowski’s legacy as one of the
great American writers continues to be padded with the release of the poems
and letters he left behind. These prophetic stanzas from “feeling fairly good
tonight” appear in “The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain,” the tenth
title published by the estate of Bukowski. “but Thou shall be
finished as a writer upon the hour or day of
your demise only to have thick new
books of yours appear for years
afterwards compiled from the stockpile of
poems you left behind for your publisher.” There are a few glimpses of Bukowski’s
brilliance, but they’re buried under nearly 300 pages of ramblings from a man
caught up in his own legend. A collection for diehard fans, casual readers
would be better served by picking up “You Get So Alone at Times It Just Makes
Sense” (1986) or “Play the Piano drunk Like a percussion instrument Until the
fingers begin to bleed a bit”(1979). -Christopher Fullerton |