Renaissance Vol. 1, No. 1 – One Uncollected Charles Bukowski Poem (1961)

Published in 1961, Renaissance Vol. 1, No. 1 featured the Chrles Bukowski poem “The Way To Review A Play And Keep Everybody Happy But Me.”

That same year, a different version of the poem with a new title was published in Venture magazine.

Bukowski scholar Abel Debritto shared some background on the poem in a post on the Bukowski Forum:

“In 1959, Bukowski submitted a poem titled ‘The Way To Review A Play And Keep Everybody Happy But Me’ to Gusher, a "serious literary mag” edited by (John) Bryan in Houston... Bryan did not accept nor reject the poem, and he did not reply to Bukowski's inquiries. Assuming it would not appear in Gusher, Bukowski retyped it, changed the title to "Serligev," and sent it to another little magazine, Venture, where it was published in late 1961. However, Bryan had, without further notice, printed in his new magazine Renaissance (1961) the version that Bukowski had first submitted to Gusher in 1959. Thus, in characteristic Bukowskian fashion, the same poem (with different titles and noticeable changes) appeared in two little magazines in 1961”

This copy is in Very Good + condition with some small stains, browning, general wear, and creases to the covers.

A solid copy of this scarce issue.

Box 32