Hacker News Reader

Comment by dmitriid | Hacker News Reader

That example at the end is just so cringeworthy. The editor deserves to be dragged through the mud for basically re-writing the entire work.

View on HN

While word replacements and omissions are bad enough, I totally fail to understand why anyone would have thought that these meandering additions were a good thing? How is this even editing?

Edit: While substitutions and what you do, when your Mom sees you writing a piece and points at a word, asking, if you maybe could do without it, are a not so much a necessary thing, the writer of this comment doesn't fully understand how this is the professional accomplishment that it is. Last Christmas, I didn't go skiing. How is this even editing? ;-)

It never ceases to amaze me that people think they can get away with very obvious stuff, like this editor for example. Bukowski is not some unknown author - he has a good following.

Did this editor really think nobody would notice? That nobody would get pissed and complain? I just don’t get it

There is clearly a pathological element in such an operation, whether it was by Martin or someone else. Inserting yourself in the work of somebody else can be a power move, or a subconscious desire to get noticed - like a serial killer leaving signature clues. Or it could be a misguided commercial consideration, that Bukowski can be "too sad / depressing / offensive" and so he needs to be toned down to sell more books.

Besides, Bukowski the writer is famous but Bukowski the poet, like all poetry, enjoys very limited popularity.

The title is enough of a hint

Reply on news.ycombinator.com