Martin was a young, idealistic publisher who had just started a tiny press called Black Sparrow . He had read a few of Bukowski’s stories and was obsessed. Martin didn’t just want to publish Bukowski’s next poem; he wanted to rescue Bukowski from the postal service entirely. He offered him a deal that no publisher had ever dared to offer: $100 a month for life . In exchange, Bukowski would quit the Post Office and write full-time.
It all started with a single, furious letter. charles bukowski letter to john martin
Without John Martin, Bukowski might have died an unknown alcoholic civil servant. Without Bukowski, John Martin would have run just another small poetry press. Martin was a young, idealistic publisher who had
In 1964, a 44-year-old Bukowski was stuck. He had spent a decade working a dead-end job at the Los Angeles Post Office, drinking himself into oblivion, and publishing sporadically in small underground magazines. He was angry, tired, and convinced his life was a failure. He offered him a deal that no publisher