ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE AND SUBMISSIONS TO SLOWGLASS - VOL.1, NO.1
Los Angeles, CA & Montclair, NJ: S.i., 1972-76. Item #7659
An archive containing brief correspondence and submissions by Charles Bukowski to Bruce Conforth (b.1950), then a student at Montclair State University soliciting work for the short-lived literary magazine Slowglass, published in a single issue in late 1973. In addition to his own work and that of other students, Conforth was successful in publishing submissions by Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. "I liked the honesty of the Buk's work, and I thought he would be amenable to working with a student-run press. We corresponded for quite some time sending letters and drawings back and forth. He was great to work with. Very amiable" (Debritto, A Catalog of Ordinary Madness, p.257). Only five of the 13 poems here were included in Slowglass, and none of the letters between Bukowski and Conforth were published in the three volumes of the poet's selected correspondence. Many of the submissions present here are unpublished. An interesting glimpse into the construction of Bukowski's reputation as "king of the little mags," particularly his willingness to interact with a then-unknown student editor. Contents of the archive are as follows:
1. Typed letter, signed, from Bukowski to Bruce Conforth, dated October 7, 1973, on a single sheet of white bond (measuring 8.5" x 11"). Six lines (21 words), signed "yeth, yeth, THE BUK" in blue pen. Bukowski has also added seven large illustrations in thick black ink pen, signed "BUK" at lower right corner.
2. Typed letter, signed from Bruce Conforth to Bukowski, undated, on a single sheet of Quarterly stationary (measuring 8.5" x 11"). Five lines (23 words), signed "sure, sure, Bruce" in black felt-tipped pen. Beneath his signature, Conforth has drawn a large square, with "Draw Here" directly beneath. Bukowski obliged him by filling the square with a full illustrated scene, three smoking men at the upper margin, and a note along the lower edge reading: "Didja take ALL them god damned poems? – Buk."
3. "dominion dogs deathly wasted." 2pp carbon typescript poem on white bond, stapled at upper left corner, with two holograph corrections in blue pen, and signed "Charles Bukowski / March 29, 1972" on p.2. Two old horizontal folds, with some light handling. Unpublished under this title, eventually retitled "Notes Upon Reading the Christian Science Monitor," and published in the December, 1972 issue of Chicago Review. Uncollected in book form.
4. "skin coloring." 2pp carbon typescript poem on white bond, stapled at upper left corner. Signed by Bukowski in black felt-tipped pen on p.2, which he has crossed-out, and signed again directly beneath, dated 1-2?-1976, with a large self-caricature and some minimal coloring. Some handling and several large diagonal creases smoothed out on the lower half. Unpublished (see Debritto, Every Piece of the Puzzle, p.161).
5. "loosely loosely." 2pp carbon typescript poem on white bond. The word "continued," is written in an authorial hand at lower margin of p.1. Two old horizontal folds smoothed out, some handling, stapled removed at upper left corner. Unpublished during Bukowski's lifetime, later included in the posthumous collection Open All Night (2000).
6. "The Arcade Room." 2pp carbon typescript poem on white bond, with six holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Two hold horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling, with a staple removed from upper left corner. Included in Slowglass, Vol.1, No.1, but otherwise uncollected.
7. "all about." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond. Two old horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling, with tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Included in Slowglass, Vol.1, No.1, but otherwise uncollected.
8. "it will come on padded feet carrying roses, wine and the yellow pages in its mouth." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with two brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Two horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling. Unpublished, though part of the title was used as the epigraph to pt.3 of The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain, and the ending lines were used as the epigraph to pt.2 of Slouching Toward Nirvana (see Debritto, Every Piece of the Puzzle, p.89).
9. "burned." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with two brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Two old horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling, with a few very faint spots of soil along the upper margin, and tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Not included in Slowglass, but ultimately published in Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974).
10. "something about a cat." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond. Light handling, two horizontal folds smoothed out, with tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Unpublished (see Debritto, Every Piece of the Puzzle, p.165).
11. "she lost weight." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with three brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Three old horizontal folds smoothed out, a few tiny edge tears, light handling, a few faint stains, and tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Included in Slowglass, Vol.1, No.1, though it remained uncollected until its inclusion in Slouching Toward Nirvana (2005).
12. "the shooting of the sperm and the shooting up with love is only a partial process." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with with 5 brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Two horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling, with tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Unpublished, and (remarkably) not in Debritto (Every Piece of the Puzzle), though we do note a draft held with Bukowski's papers at UC Santa Barbara.
13. "Vegetables." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with 2 brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Author's address circled, with a large arrow pointing down across the page (hand undetermined). Three horizontal folds smoothed out, some handling, a few tiny corner creases, with tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Included in Slowglass, Vol.1, No.1, though otherwise uncollected.
14. "the copulation blues." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with 2 brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Three horizontal folds smoothed out, some handling and a few tiny edge tears, with a small dampstain to right edge, a few tiny spots of soil, and tiny staple marks at upper left corner. Included in Slowglass, Vol.1, No.1, though not collected in book form until the publication of Come On In! (2006).
15. "fetish." 1p carbon typescript poem on white bond, with 2 brief holograph corrections in an authorial hand. Three horizontal folds smoothed out, light handling, with tiny staple holes at upper left corner. Unpublished (see Debritto, Every Piece of the Puzzle, p.56). 7659.
Price: $9,500.00