Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
On Cats  By  cover art

On Cats

By: Charles Bukowski
Narrated by: Roger Wayne
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.49

Buy for $13.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A raw and tenderly funny look at the human-cat relationship from one of our most treasured and transgressive writers.

"The cat is the beautiful devil."

Felines touched a vulnerable spot in Charles Bukowski's crusty soul. For the writer, there was something majestic and elemental about these inscrutable creatures he admired, sentient beings whose searing gaze could penetrate deep into our being. Bukowski considered cats to be unique forces of nature, elusive emissaries of beauty and love.

On Cats offers Bukowski's musings on these beloved animals and their toughness and resiliency. He honors them as fighters, hunters, survivors who command awe and respect as they grip tightly on to the world around them: "A cat is only ITSELF, representative of the strong forces of life that won't let go."

Funny, moving, tough, and caring, On Cats brings together the acclaimed writer's reflections on these animals he so admired. Bukowski's cats are fierce and demanding - he captures them stalking their prey; crawling across his typewritten pages; waking him up with claws across the face. But they are also affectionate and giving, sources of inspiration and gentle, insistent care.

Poignant yet free of treacle, On Cats is an illuminating portrait of this one-of-a-kind artist and his unique view of the world, witnessed through his relationship with the animals he considered his most profound teachers.

©2015 Linda Lee Bukowski (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"[Narrator Roger] Wayne's conversational style offers a warm and loving look at Bukowski and his feline companions that will forever change his image." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about On Cats

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    47
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    41
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

In the now

I was in a dark place, a little suicidal. I watched this movie called "Beautiful Creatures " in this movie Charles Bukowski's "you are so alone at times it just makes sense ". Was introduced.
I then looked up this author and fell in love with the words and purchased that same book. It got me through a yr of crap along with another of his books. I am trying to own the entire collection.
I love it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

This doesn't read like Bukowski.

BUT the very last line sez it all. I suspect there's been a lot of creative editing by Linda Bukowski. So it goes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!