Henry Charles Bukowski, born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer known for his influence on American literature and as a symbol of "dirty realism" and independent literature. His work is renowned for highlighting the social, cultural, and economic ambiance of Los Angeles, where he spent most of his life. Bukowski's literary output is significant, spanning various genres including diaries, stories, novels, poetry, essays, and even a screenplay for the film Barfly, based on his alter ego Henry Chinaski, which was directed by French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder. Bukowski also made a cameo in this film, an experience he later chronicled in his novel Hollywood (1989).

Bukowski's writings often focus on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the monotony of work. Despite receiving little attention from academic critics in the United States during his lifetime, his work was better received in Europe, particularly in the UK and Germany, his birthplace. Since his death, Bukowski has been the subject of numerous critical articles and books, securing his place as one of the most influential writers of American literature.

Before gaining fame, Bukowski published extensively in small literary magazines and with small presses from the early 1940s through the early 1990s. He wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories, and six novels, eventually publishing over sixty books. His work with small presses and literary magazines played a crucial role in his early career, earning him the title "king of the underground."

Adam Kirsch of The New Yorker attributes Bukowski's enduring appeal to his ability to combine the intimacy of confessional poetry with the larger-than-life demeanor of a pulp-fiction hero. Bukowski was the only child of an American soldier and a German mother. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of three and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles City College from 1939 to 1941 before leaving to pursue his writing career.