Here are some people's thoughts on Charles Bukowski's Love Is A Dog From Hell:

Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems, 1974-1977 > Customer Review #3:
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Ordinary and Obvious

I heard Bukowski on a late night community radio show complaining about "a whore who took my poems". Thats how I was introduced to him. Bukowski was overly ordinary, in my opinion, and extremely obivous. From what I heard about him from an ex-hippy co-worker, he deprived himself of typical white suburbia lifestyle -either circumstancially or just because he was most lazy person on this earth to achieve any material goals. In this collection, he goes on and on about the women he had sex with, women he would like to have sex with and his fetishes with utmost honesty. That is admirable. He himself wasnt. He wrote sometimes because his publisher pushed him to do so. In some poems, he admits to it. He was a dirty old man, starred at "upskirts...legs and strawberry lipsticks" of 13 year old school girls waiting at bus-stop. He wrote a poem about it neverthless. He wanted to commit suicide. We read about it too.
And, almost 9 out of 10 times, it never fails -he is sipping some kind of brew, his gastrointestinal problems followed by the heavy drinking, bitching about some random woman, listening to classical music and pondering why he is writing...bunch of drivel. But, its great! Bukowski enunciates the lonesome,decapitated and boring side of humanity. Its worth a read. I only wish there were more "poetry" such as this.

Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems, 1974-1977 > Customer Review #1:
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Buks soul on paper

So many writers have mired themselves in a cloud of smoke, sex and booze to try and find some oasis of writing clarity or purety of the human experience. Some have been succesful - many have not. The image of the weathered writer smoking, hunched over his typewriter is as old as anything. It is hard to not be cliche when you attack writing-and life-from this angle. "Love is A Dog..." has a refreshing clarity through the haze of smoke and self-loathing that surrounds a good deal of Bukowskis work. He has such a gift for creating and conveying images that at times, the quality of his prose may wane - but his poetry soars. Using less words for more impact, as well as the brevity and abruptness of some poems only serve to make them hit home harder. Notable mentions: "One for the Shoeshine Man," "How to Be A Great Writer" and "Cold Plums." This is a certain brand of poetry which Im sure wont be liked by all - but damned worth giving a chance.


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Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems, 1974-1977 > Customer Review #2:
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BUKOWSKI--A BRILLIANT BARFLY

As the author of current mystery novel that features a Southern California private eye who is also a small-press poet, I am a great admirer of Charles Bukowski and his work. LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL is my favorite Bukowski collection, and it provides the reader with a comprehensive selection of this great contemporary poets work. Bukowskis work has had a strong influence on my own poetry as well as on the poetry of my fictional private cop. Upon his death, I wrote tribute poem honoring this admirable writer, and it quickly found publication. I would recommend LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL to any reader who wants to become familiar with Charles Bukowskis lifes work.