Charles Bukowski

I agree with much that's been written here about the potential sterility of academic work. The idea of appropriating a writer/artist to fit one's own thesis was spoken of not unkindly by Hemingway, in response to one of the first critical studies of his life & work that put forward the "wound" theory.

I thought I'd implied it, but let me make clear: I am definately an admirer of what Synonymist called the "sincere and respectful and even vibrant" school of lit criticism. For me, when you get down to it, there's no difference between what many people would be doing on these forums (talking about and sharing their various thoughts/feelings and reasons for appreciating Bukowski's work, why it's important to them/society, etc) and writing an "academic" study.