Bread with Ham

Charles Bukowski — an iconic American writer of the 20th century, whose popularity in Europe has always outpaced that in America. Despite sometimes shocking naturalism, his texts are full of lyricism, even a peculiar sentimentality. "Bread with Ham" — a "horror novel," Bukowski said. Together with his family, little Henry lives in a poor neighborhood. He is bullied at school. His father occasionally takes out the belt, while his mother remains silent and does not try to defend her son. From the cruelty and injustice of the adult world, Henry escapes into the literary worlds of Thomas Wolfe, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and other writers. However, alcohol, which Henry discovers in his teenage years, proves to be much more effective. With it, life becomes bearable, and fighting and taking hits doesn't hurt as much. This book is about a childhood that never was.