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Quick answer: If you liked Charles Bukowski's Women, try Post Office, Factotum, Ham on Rye, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, Tropic of Cancer and Fat City. They share raw voices, barroom humor and unvarnished looks at desire and failure.
Bukowski's 1978 novel follows Henry Chinaski, an aging poet and heavy drinker, through a long string of affairs, readings and hangovers. It is funny, crude and often unflattering to its narrator. (The search term “Women” is general; this list follows Bukowski's novel.) These 15 books offer more dirty realism, confessional fiction and wry memoir from writers who refuse to clean things up. They include strong language and explicit sex.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Office | Charles Bukowski | Adult | the best place to start |
| Factotum | Charles Bukowski | Adult | readers who like the Chinaski voice |
| Ham on Rye | Charles Bukowski | Adult | readers who want depth |
| Notes of a Dirty Old Man | Charles Bukowski | Adult | readers who like short pieces |
| Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | Adult | readers who want the ancestor |
| Fat City | Leonard Gardner | Adult | readers who like losers with heart |
| Hunger | Knut Hamsun | Adult | readers who like inner monologue |
| Journey to the End of the Night | Louis-Ferdinand Céline | Adult | readers who want big bleakness |
| Portnoy's Complaint | Philip Roth | Adult | readers who like confessions |
| Jesus' Son | Denis Johnson | Adult | readers who like grace in the gutter |
| Last Exit to Brooklyn | Hubert Selby Jr. | Adult | readers who can take harsh realism |
| Junky | William S. Burroughs | Adult | readers who want unflinching honesty |
| Rabbit, Run | John Updike | Adult | readers who like flawed men |
| Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Hunter S. Thompson | Adult | readers who like chaos |
| The Dud Avocado | Elaine Dundy | Adult | readers who want a funny female voice |
1. Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Chinaski's first novel follows him through years of working for the U.S. Postal Service. Short, bitter and very funny.
Best for: the best place to start.
2. Factotum by Charles Bukowski
Chinaski drifts through low-paid jobs, bars and rooming houses across America. Dark, funny and lean.
Best for: readers who like the Chinaski voice.
3. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
Chinaski's boyhood and youth in Depression-era Los Angeles, with an abusive father. Perhaps Bukowski's best novel.
Best for: readers who want depth.
4. Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Columns from an underground newspaper, full of bar fights, sex and rants. Raw and uneven.
Best for: readers who like short pieces.
5. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
An American writer lives in poverty in Paris in the 1930s, full of sex and talk. A banned classic.
Best for: readers who want the ancestor.
6. Fat City by Leonard Gardner
Two boxers and a drinking buddy in Stockton, California, try and fail. Lean and heartbreaking.
Best for: readers who like losers with heart.
7. Hunger by Knut Hamsun
A starving writer wanders Oslo in the 1890s. A strange and modern classic about pride and poverty.
Best for: readers who like inner monologue.
8. Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Bardamu goes from the trenches to Africa to America to Paris, cursing everything. Bitter and brilliant.
Best for: readers who want big bleakness.
9. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Alexander Portnoy confesses to his therapist about his mother and his desires. Wildly funny and explicit.
Best for: readers who like confessions.
10. Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson
Linked stories about a drifter and addict, with surprising beauty. Short and sharp.
Best for: readers who like grace in the gutter.
11. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
Linked stories of lives in 1950s Brooklyn. Brutal, with unusual punctuation.
Best for: readers who can take harsh realism.
12. Junky by William S. Burroughs
A semi-autobiographical novel about heroin addiction, told in plain prose. Cool and unsparing.
Best for: readers who want unflinching honesty.
13. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
Rabbit Angstrom walks out on his wife and gets lost. Elegant and cruel.
Best for: readers who like flawed men.
14. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
A journalist and his lawyer take a drug-fueled trip to Vegas. Wild and satirical.
Best for: readers who like chaos.
15. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
Sally Jay Gorce, a young American in Paris, has adventures in love and bohemia. A witty, female take on the same kind of freedom.
Best for: readers who want a funny female voice.
How to Choose
If you want more Chinaski, begin with Post Office or Ham on Rye. For the roots of confessional sex and drink writing, read Tropic of Cancer and Hunger. For lean, sad stories, choose Fat City or Jesus' Son. For a female voice with the same wild spirit, try The Dud Avocado. Be aware that Women has been criticized for its treatment of women, so keep in mind how the author portrays his narrator.
Related: 15 Books Like Little Women You’ll Love: Sisters, Families and Classic Stories · The Women by Kristin Hannah Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Women based on Bukowski's life?
Yes. Chinaski is a stand-in for Bukowski, and the book reflects his years of readings and affairs.
Is Women a good first Bukowski book?
Most readers begin with Post Office or Ham on Rye.
Is it offensive?
It contains graphic sex and attitudes that many readers find sexist, so it is not for everyone.
What genre is it?
It is often called dirty realism, a plain, rough style about working-class lives.