Priče o običnom ludilu
Tales of Ordinary Madness is a collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski. The work depicts the harsh and stripped-down world of the American urban periphery, told from the perspective of the anti-hero – his favorite alter-ego, Henry Chinaski.
Bukowski brutally and often sarcastically describes themes such as alcoholism, sexual obsession, loneliness, misery, everyday boredom, violence and existential anxiety. The characters are regularly marginalized: alcoholics, failed writers, prostitutes, homeless people and petty swindlers. Instead of moralizing, the author depicts their world with a mixture of cynicism, humor and raw poetry.
Although permeated with darkness and destruction, the stories also exude an authentic human touch, especially through Bukowski's ability to find traces of truth and freedom in hopelessness. The language is simple, direct and imbued with vulgarity, but it powerfully conveys emotion and atmosphere.
This collection is a testimony to those ignored by society, but also a call to confront their own "ordinary madness" that everyone carries within themselves.
"Madness? Of course. And what isn't madness? Isn't life madness? We're all wound up like toys... a few turns of a spring, we run a little, walk around, make plans, go to elections, mow the lawn... I found some kind of solace in drinking, gambling and sex, and in that sense I'm the same as every other member of the community, the city, the nation; the only difference is that I didn't care about 'succeeding', I didn't want a family, a home, a decent job and the like. And here I am: neither an intellectual nor an artist... hanging in some in-between space and I think that could be the beginning of madness..."
One copy is available
