Royal HH/Bukowski -Form Follows Function

Charles Bukowski was one of the most prolific writers of all time.

He didn't start writing full time until he was nearly 40 and despite being a steamrolling alcoholic that did his level best to die from alcohol, he still wrote at a pace that his publisher couldn't keep up with.
15 books have been posthumously published since Hank's death in 1994, with more being discovered each year, it seems.
Buk used several different Typewriters during his career, he wrote so much he would literally wear them out. (This is NOT an easy task, these things were built to last!)

One of these was the exact model of a machine I finished up for a man's daughter yesterday.

Much like Bukowski, the Royal HH wouldn't win any beauty contests... But also like Bukowski, it's tough as nails, consistent, and loves a cheap bottle of whiskey.

Wait... That's me. I love a cheap bottle of whiskey. Huh.

I discovered Bukowski in high school, and immediately identified with his passion, anger, and brash outlook on the world and people that inhabit it. Some of my most prized possessions are 1st edition copies of his Black Sparrow printings. They’ve all been read many times, but now reside on a single shelf by themselves, with yes, a bottle of cheap whiskey to keep them company.

His writing isn’t your garden variety prose or poetry, it’s rich, descriptive, sometimes bleak, and even vulgar.

But then, isn’t that really how life is?

Buk isn’t the only writer that favored these beasts. Sylvia Plath, Mario Puzo, and Truman Capote all had, and wrote on one of these at points in their careers. A testament to their quality and durability. A true “writers Typewriter”!

One of my best friends is a sometimes street poet that shares my love of Bukowski, but not of standard desktop machines… Maybe he’ll come around when he realizes the Olympia SG1 I talked him into buying was another one of Buk’s go-to’s? Ha.

Anyway,
I hope the man's daughter enjoys it as much as I did cleaning and servicing it.

-KJ/NT
*1956 Royal HH Standard / Pica 10 cpi