Meet the man behind the myth in the only full-fledged biography of the American novelist, poet, and legend by a close friend and collaborator.Neeli Cherkovski began a deep friendship with Bukowski in the 1960s while guzzling beer at wrestling matches or during quieter evenings discussing life and literature in Bukowski's East Hollywood apartment. Over the decades, those hundreds of conversations took shape as this biography—now with a new preface, "This Thing Upon M...

Poet, publisher, bookseller, activist—this is the story of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the bookshop he made a landmark in San Francisco, and a life beautifully lived with writers and books.In the mid-1950s a group of San Francisco-based writers emerged as a central force in American letters. Self-styled bohemians, disillusioned with the old American dream of prosperity and conformity, they harangued these “virtues” in their writings. They became known as the Beat Genera...

In his final book, poet Neeli Cherkovski paints a portrait of his life through luminous details of encounters with his illustrious comrades.**"A prolific poet and denizen of beatnik cafes who chronicled the literary ethos of bohemian culture."**—New York TimesTo be published on what would have been his 80th birthday, The Portrait Gallery Called Existence finds the poet and memoirist combining these twin vocations in intima...