ILLEGAL USE OF DRUGS, PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES, AND THEIR ANALOGUES CAUSES HEALTH DAMAGE; THEIR ILLEGAL CIRCULATION IS PROHIBITED AND ENTAILS LIABILITY ESTABLISHED BY LAW. Charles Bukowski is a cult American writer of the 20th century, whose European popularity has always surpassed the American one. Despite sometimes shocking naturalism, his texts are full of lyricism, even a kind of sentimentality. Bukowski is rightly considered a master of the short form, and his classic collection "Stories of Ordinary Madness" is a vivid confirmation of this: bringing his signature command of language to incredible perfection, Bukowski leads his lyrical hero—a womanizer and drunkard, the clear alter ego of the author—through all the circles of modern hell. It was based on this book that the famous Italian director Marco Ferreri made a film of the same name (starring Ben Gazzara and Ornella Muti), which won the FIPRESCI prizes at the San Sebastián Film Festival and the "David di Donatello" awards in several categories.