Saturday, February 17, 2007

Bukowski, Lolita, Atomic Books, and Me

In this electronic age one thing I have wondered about is whether Lucky Man would ever actually find a home in a bookstore. Any bookstore. Anywhere. Imagine my excitement then when I learned that Baltimore's own Atomic Books - www.atomicbooks.com - yes, that Atomic Books, had ordered some copies. Now, it might be that they have confused my book with Michael J. Fox's autobiography of the same name. Or that they lost a bet. Whatever the reason Atomic Books has taken the plunge and we here at Lucky Man Incorporated are greatly appreciative. Still, as great as it is that Atomic Books has decided to carry Lucky Man what is even greater, albeit unfathomable, and frankly more humbling, are some of the books Lucky Man is listed with on their website - Living on Luck: Selected Letters 1960s - 1970s Volume 2 by Charles Bukowksi, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas - the latter of which is accompanied by the following description:

Miranda Sugarman was supposed to be in the Midwest, working as an eye doctor. So how did she wind up shot to death on the roof of New York’s seediest strip club?

Nice. What amazingly illustrious company. And what an honor. Now, I understand that Lucky Man's listing has nothing to do with quality. And I think it's clear that no one's thoughts divert to that of Ben Tanzer when these authors come up in conversation. No one of sound mind and body anyway. This listing is purely the luck of the alphabet, a random happenstance of title, and it is likely that Bukowski, Nabokov, and maybe Aleas as well are rolling over in their graves even as we speak. Still, there I am, and so as unbelievable as this may be for all of us, too bad suckers, you have to share a page with me.

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