The Barfly and the Beatnik: the literary relationship of Charles Bukowski and Kay ‘Kaja’ Johnson

This article examines Charles Bukowski and Kay ‘Kaja’ Johnson’s literary relationship. Despite Bukowski’s outsider status within the literary world, he corresponded widely with literary figures, including Johnson. Johnson was an early and active member of the Beat Generation who has largely been overlooked in literary histories. Recently scholarly interest in Johnson and her works, including her correspondence with Bukowski, has increased. However, due to the lack of primary sources and biographical information relating to Johnson, these scholarly works have understandably contained minor errors. This article aims to correct these errors, provide a fuller account of the Bukowski-Johnson relationship, and explore how it influenced, and was represented in, their respective literary productions.