Bukowski
Just watched the Bukowski documentary. Hadn't had the feeling before that he was such a sentimental, sweet guy. One person interviewed alludes to the possibility that his teenage acne problem, which produced the tremendous permanent pock-marks, which make his face so haggered, were actually caused psychosomatically by all of the beatings he received from his father ages six to eleven. I've read that these things can happen, but what interests me is that particular manifestation. Perhaps his becoming so ugly physically was what allowed him to remain so kind on the inside. The documentary could be skewed, but from his writing I also get the feeling that he is not by nature a pessimist. I suppose the body is faced with the option: let the scarring happen emotionally, or physically. Perhaps his mind was so strong that it refused to let those beatings by rasor sheath damage his emotions. Or maybe his demons are darker than they seem.