Penguin Modern Poets 13: Inscribed by Charles Bukowski to Irish Poet James Liddy

Published in 1969, Penguin Modern Poets 13 was Bukowski’s first work published by a major publishing house and introduced him to a mainstream audience of readers. In letters from the time, Bukowski is much more excited about being published by Penguin than his first book with Black Sparrow Press, At Terror Street and Agony Way.

This copy is inscribed and dated to Irish poet James Liddy, sometimes referred to as the Ireland’s Charles Bukowski:

For James Liddy
Charles Bukowski
5-6-69

James Liddy was an Irish poet, born in Dublin, Ireland, and is best known for his collections In A Blue Smoke (1964) and Blue Mountain (1968). The publication of Liddy's poetry in The Irish Times in 1959 marked the beginning of a literary career that spanned nearly 50 years.

In a letter to Liddy around the same time as the inscription, Bukowski wrote:

"we're not going to cause any literary revolution, but we hope to say a few things, that haven't, for some reason, been said and to print the good clear strong poem -- the poem that drinks beer and smokes cigars and laughs -- sometimes.”

This book looks like it was owned by an Irishman who liked to drink. It was heavily read with lots of wear, bumps, and creases to the covers. There’s also a tear on the upper right front cover, exposing the page below. As with almost all copies (including the hardcover) the pages are toned from age – the result of the cheap paper used.

Bukowski shares this volume with Philip Lamantia and Harold Norse. There are 25 previously published Bukowski poems in the volume, taking up over a third of the book:

The list of poems includes: