Love Is a Dog from Hell is a 1977 poetry collection by Charles Bukowski that captures his raw, unfiltered reflections on love, lust, loneliness, and the gritty underbelly of human relationships. Written in Bukowski’s signature conversational style—blunt, sardonic, and deeply personal—the poems chronicle his encounters with women, booze, and the emotional wreckage that often follows. The title itself, borrowed from one of the poems, encapsulates his view of love as both intoxicating and destructive. Beneath the cynicism, though, there’s a vulnerable yearning for connection, making the collection a paradoxical mix of tenderness and brutality. It’s one of Bukowski’s most iconic works, revered for its brutal honesty and streetwise lyricism.
