One of the best works by Charles Bukowski, this beer-soaked, delightfully degenerate novel follows the wanderings of aspiring writer Henry Chinaski in World War II America. Freed from military service, Chinaski travels from city to city, moving listlessly from one odd job to the next, always in search of money but never desperate enough to hold onto a job. His daily life spirals into an endless litany of miserable prostitutes, shabby rooms, bleak embraces, and drunken brawls, as he finds his bitter, brilliant way from one drink to the next. The posthumous myth of Charles Bukowski continues to grow. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of a slower, sordid urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski.