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Bukowski Charles Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Bukowski Charles Quizzes, Trivia

Charles Bukowski Trivia

Charles Bukowski Trivia Quizzes

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3 Charles Bukowski quizzes and 30 Charles Bukowski trivia questions.
1.
  Basic Charles Bukowski    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is about the American author and poet Charles Bukowski.
Average, 10 Qns, geeklove12, Jun 01 13
Average
geeklove12
406 plays
2.
  The Life of Charles Bukowski    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Charles Bukowski was one of the best-selling poets of the 20th century. See how much you know about his life and his works.
Tough, 10 Qns, chango, Sep 19 12
Tough
chango
448 plays
3.
  Charles Bukowski 101    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some basic questions on Charles Bukowski's life and work. No trick questions, either you know Buk, or you don't.
Difficult, 10 Qns, kingelvis2000, Oct 08 12
Difficult
kingelvis2000
497 plays

Charles Bukowski Trivia Questions
1. What was Charles Bukowski's pseudo name in his novels?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: Hank Chinaski

Charles Bukowski's nickname growing up was Hank. Most of his novels center around his life, and it was this voice and candidness into his decrepit loneliness that caught people's attention and made him a cult phenomenon.

2. Which independent press published the majority of Bukowski's books?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Black Sparrow

John Martin, who launched Black Sparrow in 1966 in order to publish Bukowski, retired in July of 2002 after selling his rights to the works of Bukowski and John Fante to HarperCollins.

3. Henry Charles Bukowski Jr. was born in 1920 in what city?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Andernach, Germany

Bukowski (1920-1994) moved to Pasadena, California with his parents, when he was three years old. He is well known as a poet and novelist and also the author of several short stories. He is widely seen as a key member of the 'Dirty Realism' movement.

4. What was the name of the publishing company that was involved in early Charles Bukowski poetry readings?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: City Lights

City Lights is a small publishing company and bookstore located in San Francisco, California. They are responsible for such books as "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Though City Lights helped Bukowski with readings, they never published any of his books. Black Sparrow Press published him with the help from his manager John Martin.

5. Where was Bukowski born?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: Andernach, Germany

Bukowski moved with his family from Germany to Los Angeles when he was three-years-old. He lived with his parents in Los Angeles, but moved out of the house in 1940, when his father threw all his possessions and manuscripts onto the lawn.

6. Which book is a collection of columns that he wrote for "Open City", an alternative newspaper founded by John Bryan?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Notes of a Dirty Old Man

Published in 1969, the first printing of 20,000 books disappeared from bookstore racks within a couple of months. This further enhanced his developing cult figure status.

7. Bukowski's first published novel was what?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Post Office

Bukowski wrote "Post Office" in three weeks. It was written soon after quitting his job at the post office.

8. Where did Bukowski spend a large portion of his life working?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: The U.S. Post Office

Bukowski worked on and off at the post office for eleven years and wrote a novel based on his experiences there. This was the longest of all his blue-collar jobs, most of them he didn't last for more than a week. Another profession of Bukowski's could easily be considered horse racing, as he sent a majority of his time betting on the tracks.

9. Buk fathered one child in his lifetime, a daughter named Marina. Who was Marina's mother?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Frances Smith

Frye was his first wife. Beighle was his second wife. Jane Cooney was a former girlfriend who was depicted in the movie "Barfly".

10. What's the last thing Bukowski's main character is doing in "Ham on Rye"?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Playing a game in an arcade

The main character was controlling a robot in a "Rockem Sockem Robots" type game. His opponent was a kid that he showed kindness toward. For your information, the robot specifically had blue trunks.

11. What statement best explains Charles Bukowski?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: An observing loner with a penchant for alcohol.

Bukowski loved to drink while doing most things, especially during his public readings. It was common to bring beers to Bukowski's readings and pass them up to him as the night went on. Some venues even went so far as to put a refrigerator on stage for him.

12. In what correctional facility did Bukowski share a cell with the then Public enemy #1 of the United States?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Moyamensing Prison, Philadelphia, PA

Bukowski shared his cell with Public enemy #1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tenth and Reed Street. There's now an ACME grocery store in its place.

13. What was the name of the woman Bukowski had a child with?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: Frances Smith

Bukowski had many women in his life, but only one child. Jane was Bukowski's first wife, though he claims they were never really married. Barbara was Bukowski's second wife; they were married in 1955 and divorced by 1958. By 1963 he had met Frances, and by 1964 Marina Louise Bukowski was born. In 1970, he fell for Linda, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship and was eventually married to in 1985. They were together still at the time of his death in 1994.

14. Where is Charles Bukowski buried?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Rancho Palos Verdes, California

His obituary in the "New York Times" described him as "...a descendant of the Romantic visionaries who worshipped at the altar of personal excess.".

15. What's the name of Charles Bukowski's only daughter?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Marina

She was his one and only child whose mother was Francis Dean.

16. At the end of "Ham on Rye", what game does the main character play with the young boy?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: A mechanical boxing game

The little boy beats Hank twice, despite the broken arm of his boxer.

17. What does the inscription on his headstone read?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: "Don't Try"

He frequently gave this advice to people who came to him wanting help with their writing.

18. Bukowski quit the post office for good in what year?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: 1969

His writing supported him from that day forward.

19. In "Factotum", the main character is at a driving lesson and the teacher asks, "When is the only time you lose control of the car?" The main character supplies what answer?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: "When you sneeze."

Directly proceeding his correct answer, Hank is fired for lying about his criminal record, which includes such discrepancies as drunk driving.

20. In addition to writing the screenplay for "Barfly", some of Bukowski's other works were adapted for feature films. Which of his books was used as the basis of a film by the Belgian director, Dominique Deruddere?

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Love is a Dog From Hell

Released in 1987, "Love Is a Dog From Hell" ties together several Bukowski stories, and attempts to capture the sririt of his poetry.

21. In the final poem in the poetry collection "Love is a Dog From Hell", what is Bukowski driving?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: Blue Volkswagen

It was a 1967 bug.

22. What was the name of the paper that published Bukowski's weekly column "Notes of a Dirty Old Man"?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: Open City

"Notes of a Dirty Old Man" was the beginning of Bukowski's public fame in 1978. His columns were short candid pieces about lust and alcohol, the Bukowski we know and love.

23. In 1991, this man, a former friend of Buk, wrote a biography entitled, "Hank: the Life of Charles Bukowski".

From Quiz The Life of Charles Bukowski

Answer: Neeli Cherkovski

The book was reissued in 1994 after Buk's death, under the title "Bukowski: A Life".

24. Bukowski's funeral rites were conducted by whom?

From Quiz Charles Bukowski 101

Answer: A trio of buddhist monks

This was at the request of his wife. Bukowski didn't care.

25. What is the name of Bukowski's last book that published before he died in 1994?

From Quiz Basic Charles Bukowski

Answer: Pulp

"Pulp" is a detective novel not starring his character Hank Chinaski.

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