Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) was an American writer and poet. Despite the motivational element of this poem, Bukowski was definitely not an uplifting or inspirational writer. His work focused on the mundane and depraved aspects of society with employment, alcohol and sex featuring prominently.

After minor success in his mid-twenties, Bukowski quit writing and spent 10 years wandering the country, working crappy jobs and drinking a hell of a lot. After he blew out his ulcer from alcohol abuse, Bukowski took up writing again when he was 35 while continuing to work menial jobs. He finally quit his job as a postal clerk and became a full-time writer at the age of 49.

Bukowski definitely lived by the words of this particular poem – he’s had over 60 volumes of work published including thousands of poems and hundreds of stories and there continues to be new material of his published posthumously.

– Thanks to Kelly and Sophie for submitting this.

– Zen Pencils is going on a two-week hiatus over the holiday period. See you on January 8th!

UPDATE (26th Nov 2013): Unfortunately I was asked to remove this comic by HarperCollins, Charles Bukowski’s publisher. It’s a shame, since it seemed to resonate with so many of you but I respect the decision.