Exhibit a look into L.A. poet’s life

Los Angeles might be well known for sun, surf and celebrities, but its literary history has a reputation for being dark, depressing and — in the case of Charles Bukowski — drunk.

Like other 20th century L.A.-based writers such as John Fante, Raymond Chandler and Joan Didion, Bukowski made his career writing tales of the city’s murky underbelly. Unlike other L.A. writers, however, Bukowski lived the hard-edged lifestyle of his characters, who drank away the days, worked dead-end jobs, gambled at the racetrack and mingled with other outcasts living on the fringes of society.

As the so-called “Poet Laureate of Skid Row,” Bukowski is an unlikely cult hero. But the wine-soaked womanizer and one-time mail sorter at a Downtown Los Angeles post office defied all literary and cultural conventions and become the voice for a disenchanted post-war generation by making fans out of book publishers and imprisoned felons alike.

Almost as unlikely as Bukowski’s own career is the location of a new exhibit chronicling the late author’s life and work. “Charles Bukowski: Poet on the Edge” opened last Saturday and runs through Feb. 14 at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, which is known for its collection of 18th century French portraits and rare printed manuscripts.

A classical institution that showcases bronze Roman statues and Goya paintings, The Huntington is the least likely place to display the dusty typewriter and permanently stained wine glass that sat on Bukowski’s desk for the majority of his career. And yet, after winding through the main exhibition hall with the permanent collection (housing The Gutenberg Bible, letters written by Abraham Lincoln and John James Audubon’s folio Birds of America), a sign warns visitors that “this exhibit may contain strong language” before entering the exhibition.

“All I need now is what I needed then: a desk lamp, the typer, the bottle, the radio, classical music and this room on fire.”

The foyer of the exhibition is a museum version of Bukowski’s office. In a glass case lies everything from his desk; speakers to the side project his favorite classical music and framed broadsheets of his published poetry line the walls alongside some of the author’s more well-known quotes.

In the main room there are 10 glass cases, each with a chronological theme that sweeps visitors through Bukowski’s life from acne-riddled teen to voice-of-the-people with emphasis on his legacy and legion of devoted fans. From his childhood to his early writing to fame to his cinematic explorations, the exhibition contains more than 70 objects from Bukowski’s literary collection, which were donated by his widow, Linda Lee Bukowski, in 2006.

The Huntington displays some of Bukowski’s physical literary output, such as an original press of Ham on Rye and limited edition copies of L.A.-based literary journals he was published in, but more often museumgoers are treated to personal artifacts that give insight to the man behind the gruff exterior.

These never-before-seen papers and works provide Bukowski’s own perspective in an exhibit that might otherwise be overrun with his already-released cultural output. In the “Passions and Vices” case, for example, the compulsive gambler’s horse betting papers are displayed complete with his own hand-scrawled notes and strategies. Other cases featured letters to colleagues, edited poems and even a “Certificate of Poetic License” jokingly given to him by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg.

The exhibition walks between the personal and professional with ease, chronicling both Bukowski’s relationship with Black Sparrow Press, the independent publisher that offered him his first monthly stipend, allowing him to quit his job at the post office and write full time, and his large collection of fan mail, which in this instance included love letters and photographs of a woman’s bedroom.

At more sober points, the exhibit had all the markings of a Huntington-worthy academic display, but when Bukowski’s personality burst through the staid atmosphere, it became less like an exhibit of his work and more like an opportunity for visitors to rifle through his desk without permission.

For one of L.A.’s most iconic literary voices, it’s surprising that “Poet On The Edge” is the first comprehensive exhibit ever compiled of the late author’s work. It might seem odd to have an unconventional author such as Bukowski on display at an institution such as The Huntington, especially when the Los Angeles Public Library holds more personal significance to his growth as a writer, but thanks to his widow’s donation, Buk (as he was known by close friends) will now rest in the pantheon of publishing history alongside Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry David Thoreau and Jack London.

Sarah Bennett is a senior majoring in communication. Her column, “Fake Bad Taste,” runs Wednesdays.