The Captain is Out to Lunch

“The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates, bestselling author

“He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriter

A book length collaboration between two underground legends, Charles Bukowski and Robert Crumb. In The Captain is Out to Lunch, Bukowski’s last journals candidly and humorously reveal the events in the writer’s life as death draws inexorably nearer, thereby illuminating our own lives and natures, and to give new meaning to what was once only familiar. Crumb has illustrated the text with 12 full-page drawings and a portrait of Bukowski.

Raw, unfiltered, and unflinching—this is Bukowski at the end of his tether, staring into the abyss and taking notes.

• The Writing Process: Step inside the mind of a master as Bukowski reflects on his craft, the switch to a computer, and the endless drive to get the words down, even when dancing with death.
• Aging and Mortality: From the brutal highs and lows of the racetrack to the mundane absurdity of cutting his toenails, Bukowski chronicles the indignities and small victories of growing old.
• An Unflinching Memoir: No stone is left unturned in this candid final journal, a raw meditation on fame, art, and the strange business of living a life outside the lines.
• Illustrated by Robert Crumb: Witness the perfect pairing of two underground icons, as legendary artist Robert Crumb provides stark, powerful illustrations that capture the grit and spirit of Bukowski’s final words.