SOURCE: "South of No North: Bukowski in Deadly Earnest," in Review of Contemporary Fiction, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 1985, pp. 52-55.

In the following review, Weinstein examines the similarities in Bukowski's short story collection to the fiction of Hemingway.

In no other collection of Bukowski's fiction does Ernest Hemingway's ghost play such a major role. Even the book title, with that flatly articulated oxymoron reminiscent of Men without Women and Winner Take Nothing, alerts the reader to the Hemingway presence. The Bukowski/Hemingway connection is one riddled with complex ambivalences. I trust this brief reading of South of No North might indicate a few dimensions of that knot.

A first reading of Bukowski's collection evoked thoughts of his consciously creating a parody of the Hemingway style. Consider this excerpt from Bukowski's "Loneliness":

"Maybe I'm no good at sex," said Edna, "maybe that's why I'm alone." She took another drink from...