In Post Office, gambler and alcoholic Henry “Hank” Chinaski lands a job at the local post office. While at work, he gets plastered and sleeps with women who have big boobs and bigger butts. There is no apex in this novel. The entire book is about sleazy Hank and how he spends his life getting by on just the bare minimum.
I really thought, and hoped that Post Office would read like a timeless classic. After all, it’s not like USPS has changed much since this book was published. Additionally, the front-cover blurb has London-based magazine Uncut saying Post Office is “one of the funniest books ever written.” But there’s nothing funny about this book. Even the back cover synopsis describes Post Office as “the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski.”
The only highlight of Post Office was in chapter 20, where Hank reads a galley written by a coworker named Janko. Hank describes at length how poor and crappy the dialogue becomes midway through Janko’s book. How ironic.
Many reviewers have described Post Office and Bukowski’s writing as “raw.” I don’t know about that, I’ve read better.
Other books by Charles Bukowski include:
- The Movie Barfly (1987)
- Hollywood (1989)
- Pulp (1994)
Do you like Bukowski and if you do, WHY?
Last Updated on November 26, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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