I’m currently reading Bukowski’s “Post Office” and I’m really enjoying how he writes about the drama of meniality. It’s made me wonder if anyone has written a similar style novel about working in a bar. The regular customers, the stories, the incidents, the ebb and flow of staff.
I feel like it’s definitely a job that lends itself to storytelling but in my research I’ve only been able to find books that are more along the lines of “bartending guides” with cocktail recipes etc.
Any suggestions are appreciated. I guess any books about a bar generally would be good, like if it is a common scene or meeting place for characters. I am however looking mostly for Bukowski, beatnik style books set in realism rather than something like a horror or thriller.
The closest book I’ve read to this was The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson, but of course that’s much more about the newspaper and doesn’t cover behind the scenes at Al’s backyard so much.
by SmokeWeedGetBitches
1 Comment
*Ablutions* by Patrick DeWitt is exactly this and an awesome follow up to *Post Office*. The bartender in question is an alcoholic who is bitter, cruel and particularly disliking of his alcoholic regulars. Wonderful book. Highly recommended.