Charles Bukowski is an iconic American writer of the 20th century, whose European popularity has always surpassed that of America (in Germany alone, the lifetime circulation of his books exceeded two million), the author of more than forty books, including novels, poems, essays and short stories. Despite the sometimes shocking naturalism, his texts are full of lyricism, even a kind of sentimentality. Bukowski is rightfully considered a master of the short form, and his classic collection “Stories of Ordinary Madness” is a clear example of this: bringing his trademark command of words to incredible perfection, Bukowski takes his lyrical hero - a womanizer and a drunkard, a clear alter ego of the author - through all circles modern hell. It was based on this book that the famous Italian director Marco Ferreri directed a film of the same name (starring Ben Gazzara, Ornella Muti), which was awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival and the David di Donatello Awards in several categories. The collection is being published in full for the first time - some of these stories have never been translated into Russian, the rest are presented in a new edition.