In 1987, a film titled Barfly was released, with a screenplay written by Bukowski himself, which dealt with the life of his alter ego, Henry Chinaski, played by Mickey Rourke in the film. About two years later, the author wrote his sixth and final novel, Hollywood, in which he narrates the entire process of writing this specific screenplay.
Bukowski offers us a Hollywood in negative, stripped of glamour and seen in its everyday dimension, with its machinations and complexities, with the celebrations of vanity and the cheap tricks that play a flute in the mad dance of millions. Many consider Hollywood one of his best works, and they are not wrong. It is a brilliant summary of Bukowski's entire creative universe.
From the afterword by George-Ikaro Bampasakis: His stories help people stay alive.
Independent: To tell the truth, when you read his text, you understand how right Bukowski is.
