There are a lot of people who can write circles around each other, who are beautiful stylists. Bukowski became a very good writer in his prose. But his desire was to communicate, and if you communicate a genuine emotion or something really important, it will have much more effect on the reader than a lot of pretty prose. Biographies of Bukowski seem almost redundant next to his work, which was focused sharply on his own life. That was the subject matter that Martin, along with millions of other readers, found so compelling.
American literature has to offer about working-class life.
People can relate to that. It was on this firm foundation that Bukowski built his literary career and John Martin built his publishing company. As Bukowski's star rose, he attracted an often uncomfortable amount of attention. Madonna asked him to be in her Sex book. Fans and groupies sought out his house from all over the globe, sometimes masquerading as journalists to get a few minutes with their hero.