Henry Charles Bukowski, (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) also known by his pen-name Charles Bukowski, was a German-American short story writer, poet, and novelist. His works are heavily influenced by the economic, social, and cultural ambiance of his home city Los Angeles, California. Throughout his writing career, Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories, and six novels. His famous works are Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window and Burning Water, Drowning in Flame. In 1986, Time magazine called him laureate of lowlife. He died of Leukemia in 1994.

After his death in 1994, Bukowski’s work has become the subjected of numerous critical articles about his writings, despite his works having received little attention from literary critics when he was alive.