---
product_id: 12756458
title: "Ham On Rye: A Novel"
brand: "christian baskouscharles bukowskiharperaudio"
price: "E£ 582"
currency: EGP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.com.eg/products/12756458-ham-on-rye-a-novel
store_origin: EG
region: Egypt
---

# Ham On Rye: A Novel

**Brand:** christian baskouscharles bukowskiharperaudio
**Price:** E£ 582
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Ham On Rye: A Novel by christian baskouscharles bukowskiharperaudio
- **How much does it cost?** E£ 582 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.eg](https://www.desertcart.com.eg/products/12756458-ham-on-rye-a-novel)

## Best For

- christian baskouscharles bukowskiharperaudio enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted christian baskouscharles bukowskiharperaudio brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Ham On Rye: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81S0Yp+1AKL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Bukowski at his finest
  

*by S***O on Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017*

Charles Bukowski's fourth novel, Ham on Rye, is the semi-autobiographical story of the early years of his alter ego Henry Chinaski. It is a finely written and honest account of the painful childhood of a boy marked out from his peers. Regularly beaten by his father, Chinaski is shown growing through his difficult and violent adolescence (struck with the worst case of acne his doctors have ever seen) through to the first jobs he can't and won't hold down. In this moving story of growing up Bukowski disciplines his muscular, concentrated writing and creates a novel that distils his poetry into the finest full-length piece of prose that he ever wrote. Bukowski is often good but in Ham on Rye he's great.Sadly, best known as the alcoholic inspiration for the film Barfly (an experience he reflected on in his book Hollywood), it is as a poet, rather than a drunk, that Bukowski should be best remembered. His bitter, caustic, direct, humane, damaged poetry reflects a life dominated by poverty and booze. His poetry stretches over many, many volumes but Bukowski also wrote great novels: all of them have many faults but the first four books he wrote shine for similar reasons. Post Office and Factotum both dissect, quite brilliantly, the life of an angry, poor man forced to do mindless jobs, pushed around and considered mindless by the fools who force him to do them. Women, as Roddy Doyle points out in his short introduction, continues the themes but focuses on the numerous women who share his hero's bed and bottle.I would call Chinaski a misanthrope, were it not for his abiding love – nay, obsession- with the female form. (let’s just say l had no idea how gross teenage males could be). Oh, and of course, alcohol. He notably remarks, after experiencing intoxication for the first time: “this is going to help me for a long, long time”.Unfortunately, the honeymoon is short-lived, and his relationship with alcohol leads to progressively seedier and more violent behavior.There’s not really much of a “plot” in Ham on Rye: it tells the story of the first 20 years of Chinaski’s life; and then it ends. And that was OK with me.

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Not that great
  

*by C***Y on Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019*

The earlier parts of the book are good: the young Chinaski's misfit friends and the abuse he suffers from his family, his classmates, and society at large. At times it's pointlessly crass but then, I suppose, it wasn't too far from how my classmates and I spoke and thought. The latter parts are bad. Nothing but drinking, meanness, and fighting with no sense of direction or purpose in the plot. The fistfights are tiresome and unbelievable. We get it, Chinaski is a mean drunk with no desire to be anything -- the simplicity of this personality cannot be an excuse for boring writing. Overall a 2/5 rating. If the latter portions of the book were removed, re-worked, or simply ignored, it could be a sold 3.5/5.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Bukowski gets better with age
  

*by G***R on Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2015*

Ham on Rye is a brilliant little novel about adolescence. While this story has been told a thousand times before, the narrative voice of our acne'd outsider protagonist is incredibly refreshing. When one considers that many of the other narratives of the era tend to be self-affirming urban adventure stories that take themselves too seriously, Bukowski's narrative shows us a semi-autobiographical, self-deprecating, cynical life that’s rife with alcohol, disappointment, and fistfights.Bukowski's boozy world is one where the outsider is the king protagonist of his own destiny, and it is one that is probably shared with a great deal of young men in their American upbringing. His dysfunctional family echoed my own experiences (even though I didn't necessarily have physical punishment, the emotional aspect was spot on). His feelings on his own existence as an animal (and of course, I didn't have the acne problems, but I have myriad others that gave me outsider social status) were real. His experiences with young women, school, and trying to make it against all odds professionally and educationally were very familiar to me.While Bukowski may be offensive to most readers, the plain fact of the matter is that his views on life and adolescent sexuality are the exact same ones I had in my youth. What is the most memorable is the manner in which he tells the story. He doesn't self-edit. He doesn't leave anything out. He tells us everything about his experiences as they happen. This isn't entirely something that should be described as offensive, but real. A real experience. What it is really like. And while many of us want to find some parochial editorializing when we read, the best part about Bukowski is that that is simply not in his novels.I first read his work when I was eighteen or nineteen years old. Now that I am thirty-five, picking up HOR again has left me with a reading experience that was much different since I have had a great deal more life experience and perspective. Looking at this book today, I have found a hilarious, beautiful, tragic, and exciting narrative about living as an outsider in America. I absolutely loved it – more than I did the first time – and look forward to revisiting a couple more (Post Office and Women) in the coming year.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.eg/products/12756458-ham-on-rye-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.com.eg/products/12756458-ham-on-rye-a-novel)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Egypt*
*Store origin: EG*
*Last updated: 2026-02-21*