Customer Reviews (8)

William Burrough's latest works are essential
Only few books might change your life & the way you are thinking. William Burroughs latest works such as My Education A Book Of Dreams are really essential and maybe the most accessible books ever written by this genius author. Burroughs bibliography is very diversified and is offering a huge puzzle to rearrange which might give you keys for the understanding of the modern society. With the cut-up technique, his work appears in so many different books with the same characters and flashes all over his literary work. In his early writing often hard to catch seems to appear a similar story, with pieces cutted up from all of his prolific writing.
In My Education A Book Of Dreams the writing is really more accessible than ever and is offering an interesting view throught his dreams of the modern society, its symbols, its plots, its images. Burroughs intelligence is to give to the new generation important writings. This books has been published two years before Burroughs sad reaching to Heaven in 1997.
An essential book in his bibliography which I should recommend to everyone interested in this mysterious writer, so different from his well known principal books, so touching, so mysterious & so essential.

An entertaining, random, collection...
Providing glimpses into his personal life and his imagination, full of the brilliant imagery I've come to expect from Burroughs...For anyone who's ever left a dream and hurried to their notebook, only to later be confused by what they wrote, "My Education" should prove to be an inspiring and entertaining read.

A tourbook of the Land of the Dead
This really isn't a novel. It is much more than that. This is where Burroughs got so many of the images for his life time of work. You see, this is a tour book of The Land of the Dead, or as he also called it, The Place of Dead Roads. While he subtitles this work _A Book of Dreams_ he is careful to point out that these are a very special sort of dream. They are dreams that are more real than waking life. Indeed, the author speculates if the dreaming city isn't really his true home, his true life- far more real than Lawrence, Kansas.

You can't expect to read a book like this in the same way that you would read an ordinary book. You must unfocus your mind, in the same way that you must unfocus your eyes to truly SEE some abstract art. Only then will the images begin to flow and transport you. That is because this book is a conscious act of magic, as the old magician knew when he crafted it....

See if the Land of the Dead doesn't start to seem very familiar to you. I know I immediately recognised the place he was describing. It is a place where the dead, the sleeping, the magical travellers all meet. That is why the landscape and architecture are such a tangle, why there are no clear distinctions between public and private places. It is a mad, mixed, consensus "reality." That is also why flight is possible there. You see, in such a place gravity isn't a law- it is an opinion....

One of his best novels.
I think this was a very interesting concept to record 5 years worth of dreams and then put them into a book. Some of the images and characters Burroughs comes up with are so vivid and so realistic that when I read this I actually felt like I was with Burroughs during this subconcious journey.

I liked how he used his dreams as education, and how he realized the importance of his dreams; a very Freudian quality. I think that this book represented finally coming to terms with your past, and accepting vicissitude (or change) that others tend to shy away from. This book is a very important addition to Burroughs' extensive body of work, and undoubtedly one of his best books. And often times it's overlooked because it's in the shadow of the Naked Lunch and the Soft Machine.

Beautifully layered words
This book is my introduction to Mr. Burroughs, but it definatly will not be the end. I have never read a book so detached yet so intriging, each paragraph takes you further from the "real" concrete world and closer to a world that is so complex and confusing. Rather than trying to make this a thesis or make this book into a lesson, Burroughs treats the subject as a observer and as an experience. It is a short book, you have nothing to lose. I highly recommend ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fantastic
I enjoy this collection of essays for one reason:it is the most direct Burroughs has ever been.He delves into his beliefs on the occult and magic, on coincidence, and on literary and audio cut-ups.Dream premonition... the use of cut-ups to reveal future events... etc.It's all here, with the classic Burroughs wit and sense of humor as an added bonus.

I disagree with the canned review I encountered.
I am not sure how this is "representative of Burroughs work" if that is the way the glib untruths of the canned review were couched.Most of the writing in this book is Burroughs using a more direct voice, reminiscent of the style he used for "Junky" and which I believe he referred to as "factualism".Most of the attempts in this book don't engage in the edgy "cut-up" style of a lot of Burroughs other works.I find those efforts to be intriguing art, but many readers find it distracting or suspect some sort of literary charlatanism.My point is not to enter into that argument here, but to clearly communicate that readers who DON'T like Burrough's more well known works, like "Naked Lunch", might actually find this book a better fit for their reading.The book is brilliant.Reading this is all it takes to prove that he didn't write in the more adventurous and experimental style because that's all he could manage to do.It was deliberate.He could have written deadly crisp, linear prose had he chosen to do so (and in this book he often does).Bottom line:even if you didn't like the other Burroughs books you've read before this one, you still might like this one.Get it?

a bit of a let down
i am a huge fan of the beats, but i was dissapointed in burroughs' collection of essays. most were dull, some confusing, and none of them really stayed on topic, which would be fine, except the topic was more interesting than the side trips he took. the kerouac essay is essential for anyone who is or likes the beats. it alone makes the book worth the price. and it's good to read after you've read the better beat texts.

Notes on All Aspects of Life
This is what Burroughs was trying to say in the first place.Whereas his novels, Burroughs extends a helping hand into the world of Interzone, and leads the reader on a new-age, pornographic, strung-out mental trip.InThe Adding Machine, Burroughs cuts to the chase, and is brutally honestabout politics, junk, sex, and his friend Jack Kerouac.But, with all thisplain language, something is lost from excluding the use of his trademarkstyle of prose.This is not essential Burroughs, but worth checking out.

a good collection
The Adding Machine by William Burroughs is a collection of essays on a variety of subjects. Ranging from autobiographical descriptions and stories to his own views on art, literature, writing and reading. Some of them aredownright essential (like his tips on how to write "creatively")while others are mildly boring (like the piece on cut-ups which nowadaysseems fairly dated).Overall I'd recommend this book to anyone who isfairly familiar with Burroughs' work and would like to know what's behindhis genius and the roots of his universe. For people who have never readBurroughs this book might leave curious to his other work, but, in general,is not the best place to start. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Get the Dutchman
In his final journals, Burroughs spoke forebodingly of the "pure killing purpose" which characterized his formative influences, of the hammer-blow "realism" which Conrad or Stendhal seemed to have in spades, the power of an author to grab the reader by the throat and put them in an imaginary world more real than our burnt-out sphere could ever sustain, and this in only a few words, a scrap of dialogue, a well-honed descriptive fragment.Burroughs' own wager with such intense literary economy involved many volumes of spasmodic hit-and-miss fragmentary visions, a cine-fantastique for television-shrunk minds, moments of intense brilliance and humor rising from a frostbitten plain of cold narrative tundra.But *Dutch Schultz* is startling in its word-for-word attention-grabbing coherence, its creeping aura of sustained criminal imagination, not to mention the closest Burroughs ever came to writing a fiction of mounting suspense, one of the most idiosyncratic "potboilers" you will ever read.

Arthur Flegenheimer (a.k.a. Dutch Schultz) was gunned down in the Palace Chop House in Newark, New Jersey in October 1935.Though he survived only two days after the shooting, a police stenographer was stationed at his bedside to record any incriminating evidence relating to the identity of his assassin(s).What was recorded in lieu of legal testimony was the fevered ramblings of the dying gangster, a "cut-up" of his youth and delinquent upbringing, his bloody rise to becoming Gotham's #1 racketeer, paroxysms of rage and grief at such a dark and brutal life.Happily for this reader, the obscurantism of the Burroughsian cut-up is constantly reworked into wonderful "dramatic" sequences, brass-knuckled wiseguy folklore soaked in the moneyed carnage of the mean streets.

Perhaps Burroughs' lack of explicit Control metaphors here (the Nova Mob, the Black Meat, et al.) made this text convenient for academic criticism to overlook, which is a shame, since it is one of his best shorter works, second only to *Ghost of Chance*(1991).The Arcade edition which I'm reviewing here, with its disquieting graphic design (headlines and period photographs of gangster-era Gotham City and environs), amplifies the text to a chilling degree, sending the reader on greased rails into the black-and-white phantasmagoria of 1930's American gangland.

Burroughs' script will never be filmed, of course, yet will always linger as an inspiration to overcome such contemporary disappointments as 1991's *Billy Bathgate*, where Dustin Hoffman as Dutch Schultz was surely great casting, but hardly a compensation for the film's slick expurgation of dirt-under-the-fingernails spittoon-juice gangster grunge.

Just a Script
This is the script for a very cool movie, that (to the best of my knowledge) does not exist. I enjoyed it although this is not a novel-it is just a movie script. I never have read a complete film script before, andwas pleased with how straightforward this was. The text is very detailed,with action and sound separated into two columns on each page. Pictures ofthe characters are included as well, with a identification key appearing inthe end. The story is captivating: a real mob boss is dying, and a policestenographer records what he has to say. Burroughs expatiates upon thisactual account with a more or less linear fictional interpretation ofDutch's rise to power duringthe Prohibition.This would be a bettermovie- just not quite as cutting edge anymore, unless room for additionalexperimentation is allowed. Overall a very light and simple read, Ifinished this in two short sittings. If you are a fan of Burroughs Istrongly encourage you to read this, it is much more approachable than someof his novels. ... Read more

Product Description
Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs is the most intimate book ever written by William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch and one of the most celebrated literary outlaws of our time. Laid out as diary entries of the last nine months of Burroughs's life, Last Words spans the realms of cultural criticism, personal memoir, and fiction. Classic Burroughs concerns -- literature, U.S. drug policy, the state of humanity, his love for his cats -- permeate the book. Most significantly, Last Words contains some of the most personal work Burroughs has ever written, a final reckoning with his life and regrets, and his reflections on the deaths of his friends Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary. It is a poignant portrait of the man, his life, and his creative process -- one that never quit, not even in the shadow of death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

The diary of a genius.
This diary of a genius in his last weary days is a beautiful gift.An explosively brilliant visionary with insight reaching far into the future, but also a kind man who loved his cats.

The pathetic rantings of a scared old man
I remember when Burroughs did an interview with Jerry Casale. And Casale spoke of midwestern misanthropy and the sense of shame about being a human. Well, in this diary, Burroughs gave full voice to his midwestern curmudgeon persona.

I almost croaked when I came across the following passage: "I must tell James: Please never conceal from me any nasty letters or reviews. I want the names of these creeps. The addresses, so I can put one of my curses on them. It will give me something to do. And jog a few higher-up elbows hiding behind the nameless a--holes. I will make a list and cross names off one after another. Like the new rich in St. Louis. At his daughter's coming-out party. Nobody showed. She went mad. He made a list of all the invitees who didn't show. And ruined them one after another. It gave meaning to his life. He crossed off the last name on his deathbed, gave a contented belch and died. He was a fully fulfilled evil old man."

The anti-drug-prohibition rants are tedious enough. But what's surprising is that he begrudges atheists just for being atheists. As if their mere existence was a personal insult to his non-denominational theistic yearnings: "I believe in God. Not omnipotent. He needs help now."

The cat-sentimentality is pretty icky. Burroughs ended up valuing humans only insofar as they're capable of being caretakers of cats: "If a plague should or will kill a third of the population, I can only pray that it affects not only humans but domestic animals, with special reference to dogs and cats. The picture of trillions of dispossessed cats is too horrible to be confronted."

poignant writings
Touching, amusing entries in the life of an intellectual pioneer.

Burroughs revealed so much in his fiction but the journals are a more probing way we can peer into his mind and see what he was thinking in the last days.

One often wonders where good psychedelicists are headed in their final corporeal days, so works like this provide a certain insight not gleaned from their main body of work.

Burroughs was quite a character.

Three and a half stars, really
These last words of Burroughs will have great poignancy for his fans, but might not be all that meaningful to the casual reader. He writes about mundane everyday occurrences, memories of his eventful life, makes extensive literary references and provides loving descriptions of his cats. For me, the Burroughs magic is here in abundance and this book helps to complete the big picture of his life and work. It's not all smooth sailing, though, as his repetitive railings against the "war on drugs" can become a bit tedious. Obscure references are explained in the explanatory Notes: I was interested to see he was a member of IOT (International Order of Thanateros - see the books Liber Kaos and Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter Carroll) and friends with V. Vale (See Re/Search Publications like Industrial Culture Handbook and Incredibly Strange Music). Some sections are funny, some are sad (especially where he writes about Joan Vollmer and his family) and some very interesting from a literary perspective. There are powerful passages of great beauty that stick in the mind. His love for his cats and for other animals like lemurs is very moving and shows that he may have been larger than life, but in the end he was very human. So, to wrap it up: Last Words is essential reading for the Burroughs enthusiast and the Burroughs scholar, to finally understand the man and his writing. Phew ... I am relieved, to know how much he loved some people and his pets, in the end.

What's missing?
It will be good in the future to see the orginal notes--one really wonders what has been edited out to protect the image. Any journal is a problem to read--but when the editing is done by those with the most to protect (family, lovers, etc), historians must be really concerned. Probably not worth buying new, but it will be out in paper soon. Get the cheap copy. ... Read more

Product Description
The Road to Interzone is the result of a fascination with the works of William S. Burroughs and the literary influence that made his legendary canon of work possible. Here, the raw material of the shaping spirit of the imagination, is analyzed by presenting quotes and selections from Burroughs works (novels, interviews, criticism, etc.) alongside the primary literary sources that influenced him. Also contained herein are listings from the recorded archives of the books Burroughs read through most of his lifetime. Redacted from university archives and WSB s personal libraries, these listings attempt to catalog the source materials of what was to become Burroughs literary legacy. The Road to Interzone provides the skeleton for an interpretation of the operational processes of influence and the function of artistic inspiration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Invaluable Resource for the Burroughs Scholar
As more and more books about William Burroughs are being released, the need for a reference like this is readily apparent. Expect to see "The Road To Interzone" cited as a standard source in such books from now on. A detailed map of the rich intellectual history that informed Burroughs' own thought and work (or, at least, kept him entertained), "Road To Interzone" is more than a simple catalog of the Burroughs library. Stevens provides plenty of context on how and where a good number of these books (may) have surfaced in Burroughs' own work, as well biographical information (like his relationships with the authors). There is even a bibliography of the books Burroughs wrote blurbs for. An invaluable resource.

The Madness of King Burroughs
Mr. Stevens has revealed his genius, or insanity by documenting a comprehensive library of books owned, read, reviewed, or quoted by Beat Godfather William S. Burroughs.On a personal note, if I need a book to read, something discharged from main stream booksellers, I pick up this mad intoxicant, flip through the pages and discover a wealth of diverse literature on subjects I never imagined I'd even look into.The discipline involved, along with tireless research has made this a must own for anyone interested in books, burroughs, or writing.If you hate all three, well then I can't help you. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

One of the greatest products of the beat generation
I read all of William S. Burroughs' work growing up and I always wondered what must have happened to his poor son. Until now. This book literally brought me to tears the first time I read it. Billy's take on his childhood and adolescence was revolting. He writes beautifully, probably better than his father, but you can tell he was so emotionally stunted that he was incapable of really getting it together. I feel for him, I really do, and I can't believe people die in such a way that he did.

I was really disgusted at many of the letters between Billy and Bill Sr. There is such a lack of communication between them--an awkwardness, void of warmth--that they don't seem like father and son. Billy's recollection of his mother's death, his childhood, and his visits to Tangiers as a teenager are confusing. He contradicts himself and glazes over things (sex with older men?) so quickly that I wondered how much of it was true. I wondered if Billy wrote the truth or Bill Sr., or some combination of the two.

My favorite part of the book is at the end--Bill Sr.'s letter to Brion Gysin I believe. He starts with: "Billy died this morning." And that's that. Bill then goes on for another paragraph or two to whine about how little money he's making from his latest book.

Anyway, I really recommend Cursed From Birth. I have read it over and over and it stirs up a lot in me. Part of me really feels for Billy and part of me gets mad as I read because he is stuck believing he is a victim--everything and everyone has done him wrong. The last third of the book is really moving, what with Billy and his psychosis from the steroids.

Get the book. It's really something.

Best book yet on Bill Burroughs, Jr.
Billy was a friend of mine.I knew him at Green Valley School in Orange City, Fla. in 1972 and afterwards until his death in 1981. I think this book tells his story the way he would like. Literary Outlaw is the other good bio of Bill Burroughs, Sr. in which Billy's life is well told. Read both of these books and you will know the Burroughs. The old man was a genius and a great writer but a lousy father. The son was cursed from birth(that title is something Billy wrote himself and signed a letter with to his father).
I tried to tell Billy to change his name in 1972. I thought that would be his only chance of surviving the Burroughs name. But of course his course was set. He was and would always be a Burroughs. To have your father kill your mother when you are 4 and then to be sent to grow up with your grandparents(abandoned by your father)and then to learn in your teens that your father is the notorious junkie homosexual genius author of NAKED LUNCH well how would you handle that? So self destruction was Billy's fate. This is an excellent book and anyone who is interested in either father or the son should enjoy and learn from it. One thing though. Billy enjoyed his life VERY MUCH until he got sick. So his life was not that short and was certainly not all unhappy. Just the last 10 years of it.

Buy this book!
As his contemporary, I never met Billy, but now I feel as I have. I grew up in the same circles and understand the difficulty of being surrounded by famous writers. He tells what it was like growing up beat. All beat aficiandos need to read this. Put it in the highschool library. I wish I had published it.

Far better writer than his dad
"Speed" is this writer's best book in my opinion. But anything from Burroughs Jr. is worth waiting for.

a sad epitaph
"Cursed from birth" is incredibly sad and brilliantly written.
David Ohle did a great job editing and compiling Billy's letters and manuscript pages into a coherent narrative that deals with the second half of Burroughs Jr's tragically short life (marriage, constant travel, alcoholism, transplant surgery)
The events described by Billy are often supplimented by testimonials from Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs Sr. that sometimes provide a contrast to Billy's take but always enhance perspective for the reader.
The final third of the book describes Billy's liver failure and subsequent transplant and agonizing attempt at recovery in Denver.This section is brutal and draining to read but fascinating in its glimpse into the mind of a broken, nearly abandoned man
Included in this section is a devastating, put-down letter adressed to his father but apparently never sent even though WSB comments on it in the text.
Also, of particular interest is Billy's medical profile which details the mental side effects of transplant surgery.
All in all a very well done book that should be read by any serious Beat scholar
... Read more

Product Description
The Wild Boys is a futuristic tale of global warfare in which a guerrilla gang of boys dedicated to freedom battles the organized armies of repressive police states. Making full use of his inimitable humor, wild imagination, and style, Burroughs creates a world that is as terrifying as it is fascinating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

This book sucks
The quality of the copy was fine, this is just a dumb book, I'm very disappointed. Glad i didn't buy new

To Disturb Your Sleep
I was something of an innocent when I read The Wild Boys and it gave me nightmares. The staccato, choppy plot is too disjointed to ever really allow anything to come to a close so the images tend to remain in some vestibule of the brain and come spilling out at night when your poor consciousness tries to form them into some kind of completeness.

The images themselves are sometimes gruesome and you can almost sense Burroughs' lunatic energy and all his wild imaginings spilling out on the page and being herded-somewhat unsuccessfully- into the form of a novel. Some people will have trouble with the homosexual imagery, but almost everyone will be haunted to some extent by the casual eroticization of death and cruelty-I think the Mayan sequences are some of the most persistent.
But this is not mere incoherent pornography, there is a wild, energetic beauty and an almost religious devotion to wontonly intense experience that is-along with WSB's poetic style-unforgettable.

Lynn Hoffman, author of the much-less disturbing bang BANG: A Novel and the downright soothing New Short Course in Wine,The

Pretty standard for a post-Naked Lunch Burroughs novel
Burroughs is basically a love-him-or-leave-him writer. Using a slightly more lucid version of his "cut-up" style, The Wild Boys is a book about a group of, well, wild boys rising up in the face of a very oppressive society. Yes, there is lots of sex, most of it homosexual, but once past that Burroughs shows some interesting sociological insight. Burroughs is a satirist at heart, and in this case he is clearly on the Boys' side as he tries to "expose" the bedroom lives of the Moral Majority. However, Wild Boys brings more with a clear message to rebel against these oppressive forces and enjoy life.

We begin the book with glimpses of the corruption of the oppressing classes in a fantastical estate resembling a strange Neverland ranch. Rich people are invited to a long stay by the host where they eat, hangglide, and have sex. The starving masses are locked outside and taunted by the estate staff.

Then, we move on to the Boys' who also have their own bizzare society, but Burroughs tries hard to write it in a much more positive light. Ritualistic and spiritual, the Boys band together and fight back for their freedom.

Burroughs adds some interesting styles to the mix. Color plays a huge role and are often used to describe characters and places. Many times whole pages are nothing more than the same passage in slightly different variations written repeatedly. Sometimes these experimentations are interesting, other times they are tiresome. The plot, such as it is, starts and stops throughout the book. Some of the chapters are quite lucid and describe the war between the millitary and the Wild Boy tribes; other chapters, and the basic theme in these repeats, deal only with a few characters as they throw caution to the wind and succumb to their homosexual desires.

While this may not be the best Burroughs novel I've read, it's certainly memorable. There is a lot to discover here, but some may not be willing to wade through the uneven style or sex to find it.

Armed and dangerous
This novel reminds me of Kevin Esser's Dance of the Warriors and of the Venezuelan movie Sicario.They all deal with worlds in which gangs of teenagers are engaged in violence and sex.This is the best of the three.It is disturbing and is not for the conventional, and certainly not for the bleeding-heart types who want the United Nations to abolish the use of boys in war.Only Burroughs could have written it.The style is as unconventional as the theme.This is a world in which morality does not exist.

"Time to move into first place..."
A square - a story inside other stories - the interaction of ghosts with the living - and the living with being reborn.

This was the first Burroughs I'd read.It read like a series of short stories connected like a poem.Burroughs language flows then stutters and then squares back on itself.The way he experiments with the sound and repetition of words - was exciting and something I find I do in my own writing.

I found myself keeping track of themes - St. Louis, and green (Greenbaum, Green Inn, Green Nun, Greenfield, Green Hat), and a constant reference to 1920.I haven't read much biography on Burroughs; that should come next.

Burroughs exploration of a future that becomes more primitive even as it advances, his unabashed and open erotic descriptions as a consequence of his future rather than as an expected sidetrip, and his clean and no holds barred language require that I read more of his work. ... Read more

Product Description
lavishly illustrated catalog to Burroughs exhibit ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Finally read autographed copy
I have a personally autographed copy of this book, that was signed by Burroughs on his kitchen table in Lawrence a couple of years before he died.I've had it on my shelf since that time, and finally got around to reading it last night.Just like his other books, it's a bit hard to understand, and he didn't even write this one.He was quite an interesting man.

An amazing insight into the mind of a brilliant man.
"Ports of Entry: William S. Burroughs and the Arts" is an
amazing book about an amazing man,
that provides a wonderful insight into genius.The bulk
of the book being dedicated to the art of William S.
Burroughs (yes, he wasn't just a literary giant).If you
appreciate work outside the bounds of the "common", everyday
junk, this is the book for you!Inspiring and breath-taking,
a *DEFINITE* must own! ... Read more

Product Description
The sometimes raunchy, often legally dubious New York and Mexican exploits of William S. Burroughs, one of the godfathers of the "Beat" generation, are well known. Less familiar are his experiences in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, where for several years he was a cotton farmer (while avoiding the law in New York). This intriguing chapter in the famous author’s life is thoroughly recounted for the first time in Rob Johnson’s new book.

From 1946 to 1949 Bill Burroughs prepared himself for the writing of his first books by, among other pursuits, raising marijuana and opium poppies and entertaining Beat visitors such as Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady at his farm in New Waverly, Texas. Less known, though, are stories about his other farm, a "serious" fifty-acre spread, in the Valley near Edinburg, described in the 1977 edition of Junky. Here he raised legal crops such as cotton, carrots, and peas. Other Beat writers move casually in and out of the narrative, which includes the "William Tell" episode in Mexico in which Burroughs fatally shot his wife, who had placed a drink glass on her head as a target.

As a setting in Burroughs’s work, the Valley is central in Junky (1953), "Tiger in the Valley" (an unpublished 1955 short story), and, to a lesser extent, Queer (1985). But the Valley recurs as a setting in almost all of his books, in some form or another.

Rob Johnson conducted over forty hours of interviews with people in South Texas and Mexico who knew Burroughs, his business partner Kells Elvins, and other "South Texas Beats." Johnson paints a picture of a fascinating place, time, and people: South Texas and Northern Mexico in the post–World War II period and the Anglos, Mexican Americans, and Mexicans who lived there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Before he was a writer . . .
I always find it interesting to study the life of someone before they were famous. Whether it is a writer, artist, singer, or serial killer. Later, you can see how fame changed their life. I found it fascinating to learn of Burroughs living in South Texas, in many ways the most "un-beat" area of the country, a place that to paraphrase Burroughs, people come to die. However, even without a connection to South Texas, the book is an excellent read. I missed an appointment, sleep, and my favorite tv show to finish the book.

South Texas Beats
Great book.Very interesting read on a part of South Texas History.

william burroughs
i found it an interesting aspect of burroughs life. a cotten farmer in south texas is 180 degrees out from new york city or london or paris. i have read burroughs extensively. this a lost chapter in his life. kudos to the writer for doing the research. ... Read more

Product Description
Burroughs Live gathers all the interviews, both published and unpublished, given by William Burroughs, as well as conversations with well-known writers, artists, and musicians such as Tenessee Williams, Timothy Leary, Patti Smith, Keith Richards, Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, and Gregory Corso. The book provides a fascinating account of Burroughs's life as a literary outlaw. Illuminating many aspects of his work and many facets of his mind, it brings out his scathing humor, powerful intelligence, and nightmarish vision. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

More a reference work, than a book
I am hesitant ot give this a full five stars, despite being one of the most read books in my library.
Naturally this is a wonderfull collection of interiews of Mr Burroughs. And unlike "From the Bunker" this is every single one. This is not a best of, nor just a sample, this is it. And it's there that it becomes a little... too much. Reading the entire book cover to cover is no simple task, as Burroughs, naturally, repeats himself time and time again. Some interviews seem to be the same, and I find myself screaming: "I KNOW, you've said this allready"

That being said, it IS interesting to note how he over the years contradicts himself, often seeming more interested in overpowering the interviewer with his brilliance, than being truthfull.

I think it is more helpfull to look at this book as a reference book, than a good read.

If you want to be entertained and taught by Burroughs, I would rather reccoment "From the Bunker" and "The Job" as they function more as works in themselves. Read THIS entire book, and you feel you never wanna see the man again, as you've had your fill. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing...

Thorough Resource for the Burroughs Scholar
In these one-on-one situations, Burroughs has a voice that is often quite different from the ones he uses in his writing. In particular, he appears to be genuinely open.

And after nearly 800 pages of "openness,' one is left with a deep sense of Burroughs' intellectual landscape... But oddly, not as strong of a sense of how he approaches his craft.

This has almost everything to do with his interviewers, the bulk of whom seem more interested in talking to The Legend rather than The Writer. After a while, these interviews start to read like attempts to commune with The Wise Old Cracker Barrel Sage On The Mountain, rather than attempts to reveal the creative processes behind an often brilliant writer.

This is especially evident when one reads interviews by J.E. Rivers and Jennie Skerl, which are actually NOT included in this book for some odd reason. Those interviewers are focused almost exclusively on getting Burroughs to talk about his WORK, and they are among the best interviews of him that are available. It's hard to fault "Burroughs Live" for being an incomplete endeavor, but these particular omissions are inexcusable (to read those particular interviews, you'll have to get Hibbard's "Conversations with...")

There are, however, many, many more insights that will amuse, engage and surprise the Burroughs scholar (and who else would read a bookof interviews THIS size?). During one early interview, for example, Burroughs dismisses the infamous "William Tell Routine" as an ugly rumour. This either casts a doubt over everything else he has to say, or fits in quite nicely with his vaudevillian huckster persona, depending on how you choose to proceed.

Obviously in a book this size, there are themes and ideas that are repeated from one interview to another... some ad nauseum. That helps to seperate Burroughs' actual infatuations from his transient interests, and provides some good context for reading his books. There are some, however, who will wish the editor had made some actual editorial judgements in this regard, which is a valid criticism.

Burroughs always appeared inaccessible while he was alive, but that was apparently not the case. It looks like he would talk to just about anyone who claimed to represent a journal of some kind, which makes me wish I had joined my college newspaper (which, by the way, had more thorough proofreaders than this book.)

The Thin White Duck
I completely agree that the editing aspect lacks in this volume.My favorite miss is on page 429, first line at the top of the page, "...and the Thin White Ducks's..." -an obvious goof-up of the Bowie alter.That one cracked me up big time and caused me to disturb others in the coffee shop where I was reading it.Being only 24, I can't say (though I'd love to) that I was around when most of these interviews originally came out but as an avid Burroughs reader I appreciate having them all in one place.There is something to be said about the completist aspirations of the book.

The editor could use an editor
While any book collecting the words of William Burroughs, & particularly any Burroughs book of this size, is cause for celebration, this particular book has some serious editorial flaws.There is a great deal of alteration to the interview transcripts, there is repetition within the book & in relation to other books, & there are many obvious errors.

The interviews, says Sylvere Lotringer at the outset, were altered from their original form in order to better serve the flow of the book.While this is understandable or even necessary given the number of interviews collected here, some of the editorial choices destroy any sense of the original interviews.In several cases Lotringer collapses different interviews with different interviewers from different times into one, creating a fictionalized pastiche of Burroughs live.& in other cases the editing of transcripts is so severe, as with the Playboy drug panel, that Burroughs comes out seeming like the subject of the article when originally he was just another participant.The thrill of the interview format is in seeing how a particular subject creates on the spot, how he interacts with the other participants & how the ideas of his work transfer to his life.While there's a good deal of originals throughout the book, many interviews needlessly lose the spontaneity of the originals as a result of editorial tinkering.

In addition, there is repetition, particularly from other books that an avid Burroughs reader would already have.There is material reprinted from the Re/Search book on Burroughs, as well as Victor Bockris's With William Burroughs: A Report from the Bunker.The pieces culled from the latter are particularly frustrating, since that book was already a collection of interviews.In addition, those pieces tend to be edited here!To reprint interviews already collected in book form is wasteful, but to alter them further is absurd.We would have been much better off with the complete transcripts of previously unavailable material, rather than the inclusion of recycled, re-edited, already-available interviews.

Finally, there are basic editorial errors throughout the book.Typographical errors, sometimes quite embarrassing (as when Burroughs tells David Bowie of a sound below the level of hearing - below 16 'Mertz'!), litter the whole book.There are several times where paragraphs are repeated word for word on a single page.There are even interviews that end in the middle of a sentence simply because that sentence came at the end of a page.As an editor myself, I can spot the telltale signs of unchecked OCRing (optical character recognition) - in other words, the editor scanned the interviews into his computer, used the OCR program to convert it to a text format, & never bothered to check the accuracy of the results.Any competent copyeditor would spot such errors from a mile away & easily fix them; the fact that this book has been published without such necessary editorial attention is disgraceful.

That said, there are many interviews collected here which would otherwise be impossible to find.There are translations from French & German, there are reprints from the myriad small presses Burroughs associated with in England, there are curiosities & oddities that might not have otherwise seen the light of day.For these pieces alone, this book remains a necessary purchase for us Burroughsphiles.But the errors of the editor keep this book far from being the last word on his interviews.

That Burroughs is a fascinating read in any format goes without saying.For all the intelligence, humor, & world-weary wisdom he imparted, he surely deserves a better publication than this.

covers every topic in existence
Wow, this book is enormous... but finishing it was not at all exhausting. Burroughs discusses a seemingly unlimited range of topics and ideas including conspiracies, state authority, language and the "word virus" theory, magic, Brion Gysin and the dream machine, cut-ups, astral projection, punks, the Beatniks, his books, various drugs, drug laws, and plenty more. Reading the interviews is an unbeatable way to get insight into this fascinating man, and to see the transitions he went through in his life. In his old age he seemed to have transformed into such a sweet and compassionate individual, and it is really very beautiful to hear the things he had to say by this time.
Many of the ideas that are undercurrents throughout his books are discussed in a straightforward, and casual manner in these interviews. This makes the book a very interesting supplement for avid Burroughs fans, and it reveals how amazingly insightful he was. At first I was a bit surprised that this book is published by Semiotext(e), whose books are consistently amazing and thought provoking (not that I didn't think his work is worthy, but the publisher usually puts out books of serious academic philosophy and political theory, while Burroughs is predominantly a novelist)... the connection became very clear while reading the interviews, especially the one in which Burroughs and many renowned French postmodern philosophers were in a conference together, including Deleuze and Foucault. In the interview based on this conference, many of their similarities are exposed. After reading this book, it became very apparent how far ahead Burroughs was from Foucault (a highly influential philosopher who examined power relations and how knowledge is tied to control), and how well their work ties together. Burroughs was always suspicious of power and deeply analyzed power relations and state authority, but his views were always freshly presented with a twist of his unique character, which makes his interviews an amusing read.

Some of them are a bit dry, and there is some repetition throughout the book... after all, they were never meant to be collected together. I wouldn't cut any of them, why opt for less when you could simply skip them? This is a nice book to own, because you can easily come to it at any time and read a single interview, but it really is amazing to read the whole thing front to back. Gives a different feeling than reading them sporadically.
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For those who like the cursive word ...
Not Burroughs' best writing or most provocative -- but is there really any bad Burroughs' writing? The most interesting aspect is reading his handwriting in his own journal, a plus for all journal keepers out there wholike to read the cursive word. A definite must for hardcore WSB fans.

what about non-academics?
Any chance this will be published in paperback? $59 is steep. So unfortunatethe price keeps most of us degenerate Burroughs' readers at arm's length from owning a copy. ... Read more

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Required reading for budding Ayahuasqueros
The book that awoke Western interest in the Amazonian shamanic potion, Ayahuasca (A.K.A. Yage in Columbia).

Through his letters to Beat poet Allen Ginsburg we follow William Burroughs as he travels down from Panama towards Colombia in search of the mythical potion Yage in 1953. Burroughs writes with bile dripping in every sentence as he passes damning judgment on everybody and everything from the locals to the expats, ("I never knew a Dane that wasn't bone dull". or "The Chinese are all basically Junkies in outlook"), gets thrown in jail and languishes under town arrest in some flea bitten village while fighting Malaria - all the while trying to locate a shaman to try out Yage with.

When he does manage to finally locate a willing shaman, Burroughs' Yage accounts are curiously muted experiences - nausea, purging, some numbness convulsions and minor hallucinations. However, no real epiphanic moments or fundamental inner transformation is revealed. Ginsburg's later 1960 experiences, on the other hand, provide much more detail as to the composition, preparation and ritualistic use of Ayahuasca, and his experiences prove much more powerful and mythopoetic than Burroughs' - "I felt like a snake vomiting out the universe" His experiences are profound as he connects with the "Great being within"and describes his experience as 'The ringing sound in all the sense of everything that has ever been created". Three years later in 1963 Ginsburg sums up his Ayahuasca experiences thus: "transfiguration of self consciousness from homeless mind sensation of eternal fright to incarnate body feeling present bliss now actualised."

Despite rambling in places, it's a quick and worthwhile read, mainly of historical interest to see how two mid-twentieth century literary figures responded to Ayahuasca, inadvertently helping propel the potion to international prominence. .

Junky é ainda o grande livro
Legal, mas nem tanto. Se vc é a sua primeira leitura de Burroughs deixe esse pra depois e compre o Junky.

interesting beat history
I found this to be very interesting when put into historical perspective.strange tales from both burroughs and ginsberg.I give this a high rating just because it's such an interesting read.You have many different avenues with witch to approach the many layers this has to offer. L Jordan

Fake Letters And Real Drugs.
'The Yage Letters Redux' is a contemporary update of 'The Yage Letters,' a lesser-known Burroughs epistolary text (or pseudo-epistolary text - more on which in a moment) from 1963. It mostly takes the form of letters from Burroughs to his lover and literary cheerleader Allen Ginsberg when, after the death of his wife Joan in the notorious much-debated shooting accident, Burroughs takes off to South America on a fractured internal amnesiac quest in search of Yage (pronounced 'Ya-hey'), the supposed 'Final Fix' (a powerful draw for such a hardcore drug addict) used by brujos for prophetic effect. In the letters the Harvard-educated junkie-cum-ethnobotanist describes the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of the country, giving us a vivid, sweatsoaked travelogue of the place and the people and places he finds there.

'Redux' is edited by Oliver Harris, who edited an excellent book of letters by Burroughs from 1945-1959, and for anybody interested in El Hombre Invisible it's a fascinating, revolutionary version of a revelatory text that is definitely worth checking out. Containing 40 new pages of text, it encompasses pieces of writing from 1953-1960, including some by Ginsberg, the book has a very tangled, complex literary history (expertly unraveled by sui generis Burroughs scholar Harris in the introduction). Long presumed to have been genuine letters between the two men, the epistolary nature of the text turns out to be an elaborate literary construction by Burroughs (hoping for a book that could have been published as a companion piece to 'Junkie,' published by Ace Press), to try and sell piecemeal material. In retrospect it's easy enough to see this when it's pointed out. Take, for example, this for a description of a priest from a 'letter' from Burroughs dated January 30th:

"There was no mistaking the neurotic hostility in his eyes, the fear and hate of life. He sat there in his black uniform nakedly revealed as the advocate of death. A business man without the motivation of avarice, cancerous activity sterile and blighting. Fanaticism without fire or energy exuding a musty odor of spiritual decay. He looked sick and dirty - though I guess he was clean enough actually - with a suggestion of yellow teeth, unwashed underwear and psychosomatic liver trouble. I wonder what his sex life would be."

That is far too studied and crafted a passage to merely be a passing comment on a person the writer met. And nobody but Burroughs would wonder what the sex life of so unappealing a character would be! And only he would write musings about music heard on his trip like "A phylogenetic nostalgia conveyed by this music - Atlantean?" because only he could believe that he could be nostalgic for music supposedly heard in Atlantis.

There are many examples in the text of upper class Burroughs being the ultimate rich 'Ugly American' abroad, and his condescension towards the South American natives he encounters is very obvious and sneering and supercilious, though becoming more ambivalent as his experience amongst them goes on and he becomes educated to their tardy ways. However. The text herein is divided into three sections: 'In Search of Yage' (1953), 'Seven Years Later' (1960) and 'Epilogue' (1963). Right at the end of the first section Burroughs takes Yage and experiences a complete literary and psychic overhaul. I was deeply surprised to encounter practically verbatim the 'The Market' section from 'Naked Lunch' here, written when Burroughs is under the influence of Yage and obviously inserted into the text for that seminal novel at a later date. It's an incredibly beautiful, strange, stunning piece of writing, visionary and exotic and unknown and unsurpassed (to my mind) and, in case you don't know what I'm talking about, I present here, in case you haven't seen it, one of my all-time favourite prose poetry passages in the English language, and one which has proved deeply inspirational to me in my own writings (the version here being slightly different to the one in 'Naked Lunch'):

"Followers of obsolete unthinkable trades doodling in Etruscan, addicts of drugs not yet synthesized, pushers of souped-up Harmine, junk reduced to pure habit offering precarious vegetable serenity, liquids to induce Latah, cut antiobiotics, Tithonian longevity serum; black marketers of World War III, pitchmen selling remedies for radiation sickness, investigators of infractions denounced by bland paranoid chess players, servers of fragmentary warrants charging unspeakable mutilations of the spirit taken down in hebephrenic shorthand, bureaucrats of spectral departments, officials of unconstituted police states; a Lesbian dwarf who has perfected operation Bang-utot, the lung erection that strangles a sleeping enemy; sellers of orgone tanks and relaxing machines, brokers of exquisite dreams and memories tested on the sensitized cells of junk sickness and bartered for raw materials of the will; doctors skilled in treatment of diseases dormant in the black dust of ruined cities, gathering virulence in the white blood of eyeless worms feeling slowly to the surface and the human hosts, maladies of the ocean floor and the stratosphere, maladies of the laboratory and atomic war, excisors of telepathic sensitivity, osteopaths of the spirit.

A place where the unknown past and the emergent future meet in a vibrating soundless hum. Larval entities waiting for a live one."

I could go on and on about that passage, and others in 'Naked Lunch,' (notably 'Atrophied Preface: Wouldn't You' and the description of the Composite City, the latter of which is in here too; these few passages alone make buying this book worthwhile) one of my all-time favourite books, for hours, content and structure and imagery and obsessions laid down and on and on and on, but I won't, so don't worry. But knowing that that beautiful, damaged, disturbing sequence was from Burroughs's South American adventure, and not from Tangiers, as I had always assumed, was an eye-opener, as was the knowledge he wrote it under the influence of Yage and that this drug and writing forever changed his outlook and writing style. It certainly comes off as being visionary, otherworldly writing, Burroughs out of his head on drugs and communicating back to us from the dense dripping green rainbow-bird primeval evil eye jungles of South America what the grinning sweating knowing mentally flying brujos have been getting off on for centuries. Gorgeous stuff indeed, and language unlikely to be replicated again in such a dreary regimented age of non-experimentation and drug paranoia and fear of the Unknown. But at least we had mad old Mr. Burroughs there to document it for us.

Some of the other stuff in the book is not so hot, ie a couple of letters from Ginsberg where he writes of drug trip and manages to waffle tedious fractured semi-religious nothing-meaning white syllabic noise for page after page - "- but God knows I don't know who to turn to finally when the chips are down spiritually and I have to depend on my own Serpent-self's memory of merry visions of Blake - or depend on nothing and enter anew - but enter what? - Death? - and that that moment - vomiting still feeling like a Great lost serpent-Seraph vomiting in consciousness of the Transfiguration to come - with the Radiotelepathy sense of a Being whose presence I had not yet fully sensed -" and blah blah blah and on and on and on. There's a Burroughs cut-up passage here too, 'I am Dying, Meester?' and that's pretty pointless as well, ultimately. I never ever liked Ginsberg and all his religious psychobafflebabble, and the cut-up is, to me, a pointlessly alienating parlour trick. But I suppose it's all literary history and we would never have heard of Burroughs without Ginsberg, so I suppose it all balances itself out. Sort of.

Non-fiction.
Of all of Bill Burroughs' works, I enjoy his fictions that were closest to his life as he lived it. QUEER and JUNKY are my favorites, as they deal so honestly with the very strange world in which he moved. I realize that his cut-outs and dream-like novels are important and quite moving to many, but they just never impressed me the way his earlier books do.

THE YAGE LETTERS recounts Burroughs' trip to South America to search out the legendary drug "Yage" which he hoped would enable him to grasp something like mental telepathy. Yes, it's a mad notion and this journey is certainly equally mad, as he moves freely among primitive folk and capitalist exploiters and thieves and holy men and jungle bureaucrats and fellow travellers and drug addicts. Ultimately, the feeling that I was left with was that Yage, like so many other drugs, was nothing but poison. WB lovingly details the search for the material, the preparation of the matter, and the nausea-inducing reactions to the drug that proved only to be a mild hallucinatory.

But it isn't the Yage itself that drives this book. Rather, it's the journey. I highly recommend joining Burroughs in this prose trek.
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What is it with this "CUT-UP" not good writing?
Actually, my true rating for this book is 5 stars. I've give it simply zero in order to write a cut-up, and have some fun. I apologize anyone if whom I cause offend.


Before we get to the jokes though, I'll point out that many people dismiss theCut-up method, not realizing that with someactive (either during or after-the-fact) editing, a coherent and entirely new text can be realized from the mangled remains of an original. A cut-up need not be purely random. It can encompass the entirety of a text, or takke placeover only a few lines within. It is an exercise with no rules. It can also be an effective technique for self-analytics, as A cut-up, (polished-up or not), produced from a journal or other piece of personal writing (say, a letter to [or even presumably from, another person) can often lend to the practitioner insights of a seemingly credible nature. A method of reading between the lines of one's own texts. Or of reading tea-leaves. Also, the cut-up can be a worthy means of dream-analysis.

One thing about Burroughs which often goes unremarked, is the extent to which he influenced modern occult theory and theorists- philosophers, magickians, and others who actively study esoteric currents. His effect on contemporary magickal has been profound, if decidedly underground. He was himself a conscious actor in this, and was upfront about the nature of his various works as being pieces of magick, rather than simply passages of writing. Not that all of writing isn't magical, &c. its just that "*good*" writing is magical like a sunset, romance or butterfly, even magical like a stage-show sleight. But writing, in and of itself, is no longer explicitly 'magical', per se.

I'd go into more depth on thee of Burroughs and his influence here, sure, but sadly, I've not the erudition. A good starting place though, toward viewing some of the latter-day extensions of his magickal thought can be found in THEE PSYCHICK BIBLE: Thee Apocryphal Scriptures ov Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Thee Third Mind ov Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth. To see an actual distillation of some of his method, as lain out by he Brion Gysin for the purposes of educating the "masses", see here: The Third Mind.


Now, on to the fun!


What is it with this so-called "CUT-UP" business? That is not allowed. That is not good writing. Ask any ENGLISH teacher (as opposed to anygobbeldy-gook teacher) and he will tell you that it is not legitimate! You cant do that!!! I cant write a term paper, then tear it up into bits, then rearrange the bits and tape them back together and then turn it in and expect that the teacher will then adopt it!!! So why can this writer get away with it?


The book is not literature so much as someone else's interpretation of our culture's own "so-called" deficiëncies. Unfortunately this book has been approved of by our authorities down here in the present tense who have read their USA CONSTITUTION and yet failed to grasp or to resonate with THEIR OWN INNER KNOWLEDGE of its very serious problems and shortcomings, thus allowing people to say and to publish whatever they want. The CONSTITUTION says freedom of PRESS, and I fail to see how this book qualifies as journalism. It is beyond my belief. And it is this that is for Lunch? Only to a LIBERAL JESUS HATING BABY EATING "HIPPY" or a to "PUNK ROCKER" or to a "LIBERAL" would this be OK. Or to a "UNITARIAN". (Blood on the Altar: The Secret History of the World's Most Dangerous Secret Society). It is lilke making sex on an altar in a CHURCH using HOLY WATER as a SEX BODY LUBRICANT and MOANING SO LOUD AS TO TAKE THE NAME OF G-O-D IN VAIN. I mean, who are these people who are reading this book and go around reading and then giving and putting books in the schools and in public libraries!!!??? It is like some secret kind of cult which is reading to DESTROY AMERICA LIKE SINKING A SHIP complete with a CAPTAIN going down with his RATS. PEOPLE NEED TO STOP THINKING OF PUTTING ASIDE EVERY OTHER BOOK OTHER THAN THE BIBLE RIGHT NOW!!! THE BIBLE IS ALL WE NEED NOT SOME ACID laced absurdity with herring presented HERE in the present now or THERE in the past of the author's own naked truth then, or even in that future of the NAKED WHO ARE SITTING EATING SCUM IN (G-O-D BLESS) AMERICA. Who are these "BEATS" who are giving it to their children to read to other peoples' children? Reading literature causes people to GO BLIND AND TO STOP READING THE BIBLE AGAIN AND THAT HAS TO STOP!!


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It was not. You expect that the writer will then get away with this? They will not accept it!!! So that it is not legitimate. You cant do to any gobbeldy-gook to a teacher and so why can this writer? Any ENGLISH teacher is opposed to this, so then who will turn it in if it is not allowed?!?!? That is not good writing. Ask and I will tell you of bits of tape with which he will rearrange. Then what it is with this so-called "CUT-UP" business??!?!?!? I cant write a term paper, then tear it up into bits, then chew them back together again.


TO STOP the future of the NAKED WHO ARE SITTING IN KNOWLEDGE of its very serious problems and shortcomings, PEOPLE NEED on an altar in a CHURCH like eating HERRINGS in the present now to be READING THE BIBLE AGAIN as a kind of cult which is the Secret History of the World in G-O-D-LESS AMERICA. Who are in NAME OF G-O-D IN VAIN? I mean who says and who publishes whatever they want? The "HIPPY" and the USA CONSTITUTION says freedom and yet I fail to grasp it or to see how this book qualifies its own "so-called" deficiëncies. THE BIBLE IS IN ALL BOOKS OTHER THAN THE BIBLE RIGHT NOW!!! RIGHT NOW!! I lilke making sex right now down here in the present tense to those with whom whose HOLY WATER is a SEX BODY LUBRICANT. And it is this that is what is for Lunch? Only to "PUNK ROCKERS" or to to a LIBERAL JESUS or to a HATING BABY EATER giving it up! The book is not literature so who are these people who thus are allowing people to read it? Much as someone else's interpretation of, or even in, that SHIP, complete with EVERY OTHER of the author's own naked truths. Then in the schools and public libraries it is our culture's own very Blood on the Altar. Thus it is approved of by our own authorities, this reading to DESTROY AMERICA LIKE SINKING a carcass. People to GO BLIND BLIND BLIND AND THEN TO STOP who are reading like some secret and then go giving and putting in books of them. AND THAT HAS TO STOP!! A CAPTAIN is going down with his RATS! I'm OK, but you're not OK. Like a "UNITARIAN" who reads to other peoples' children. Reading "literature". I have read the USA CONSTITUTION, right THERE, in the past. Most Dangerous. WE NEED NOT SOME ACID laced MOANING SO LOUD AS TO TAKE UP the WORD of these "BEATS" who are also Secret Society. I'm THINKING OF TAKING UP AS AN ASIDE, journalism, this way which is way beyond my absurdity with. Unfortunately, this book has been a belief. And it too, resonates with THEIR OWN INNER THOUGHTS, their children reading all of the PRESS ACCOUNTS here presented while I fall EATING SCUM like this book and going around around around. A "LIBERAL" world is this.


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You should not read this book before...
Before reading this book, I HIGHLY suggest you read "Howl and other poems" and "On the Road" by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, respectively. This will give you a better understanding of how this group of friends chose to write, with Ginsberg being, in my opinion, the most easily approachable and Burroughs being a little bit more obtuse. I'm not saying that Ginsberg has less to say, but that it's less jarring to ease oneself into the writing style in that order.

Books online
I love this edition of Naked Lunch. I just wish this could have been more affordable since the cover was completly off its spine. Wasn't informed.

Challenging book...
"Naked Lunch" is William S. Burrough's masterwork. Reading this is a little like reading James Joyce's "Ulysses" crossed with the Marquise de Sade. It has a stream of consciousness form, and often reads like a poem. Burrough's said that the purpose of it was to open up one to possibilities. In this sense it is meant to be open ended, and can be opened and begun anywhere, not unlike the music of John Cage. The book takes the reader beyond the cozy confines of one's world and throws one into the challenging, and unsettling world of a junkie. Burrough's wrote this novel during his many years on heroin and multiple other drugs. Finally in Tangiers his friends, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg, helped Burrough's put his multitude of writings together into book form. Burrough's has said that this is not a novel, but a book. It is an assortment of thoughts and ideas, not a narrative story that follows a logical progression to an end.

In 1959 in Paris, Olympia Press published "Naked Lunch". It would be three years later before an American edition(Grove Press) would come out in 1962. This 50th anniversary edition includes an appendix section which includes numerous letters, out takes, and alternate versions of various sections in the book, as well as an exhaustive discussion by the editors about how they compiled this particular version of the novel given that the Olympia and Grove Press editions were so different from one another, and that in 1998 the original typescripts were found in the Ohio State University which reveals fragments lost between the last typescripts and the Olympia edition. How the book came together makes for nearly as interesting a read as the book itself.

I'm Waiting for The Man
Naked Lunch "the restored text" is an excelent edition of this phenomenal piece of art or "junk art". I have no words to explain how enigmatic, surreal, trippy, hallucinogenic this book is...Benway, The Meet Café, Islam Inc and the parties of Interzone, Mugwumps, Reptiles, Salvador Hassan O'Leary, I.R.s- Identical Replicas, Interzone, A.J., Steely Dan III from Yokohama :-), metallic cocaine bebop (?), William Lee, Hauser and O'brien, Galaxy X, Annexia...this is too much...

To understand how Naked Lunch was written, we must look at the life of its author during the decade before the book was born (Editor's Notes) ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive 25th-anniversay edition of Burroughs's legendary second novel.

Originally written in 1952 but not published till 1985, Queer is an enigma-both an unflinching autobiographical self-portrait and a coruscatingly political novel, Burroughs' only realist love story and a montage of comic-grotesque fantasies that paved the way for his masterpiece, Naked Lunch. Set in Mexico City during the early fifties, Queer follows William Lee's hopeless pursuit of desire from bar to bar in the American expatriate scene. As Lee breaks down, the trademark Burroughsian voice emerges, a maniacal mix of self- lacerating humor and the ugly American at his ugliest.

A haunting tale of possession and exorcism, Queer is also a novel with a history of secrets, as this new edition reveals. ... Read more

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The Definitive Edition
Burroughs, William S. "Queer: 25th-Anniversary Edition", Penguin, 2010.

The Definitive Edition

Amos Lassen



"Queer" was originally written in 1952 but it was not published till 1985. It is a self-portrait of Burroughs that is political, a love story and a collection of fantasies. Set in Mexico City during the early fifties, "Queer" is about William Lee as he goes from bar to bar hopefully to quench the desire in him. The book is a brutally honest look at what being gay in America was like in the `50's and before. We see how much lust and desire can destroy a person.

The story is one of unreciprocated feelings and how loneliness can cause a person to withdraw into himself.
The book was banned for many years because of both the sexual and political contact. Burroughs uses stories as conduits for his sarcasm and absurdist sense of humor. "Queer" shows the human side to Burroughs's writing and so much so they we empathize with Lee. The descriptions of Mexico City and his friends give a mystical touch to the novel. We see a sense of need in Lee as he is an adult but acts like a schoolboy who is infatuated with men. He goes as far as to make a fool of himself as he struggles to win over Allerton, a young man who is indifferent and goads Lee several times. The novel is full of dark humor and the entire novel, to me, at last, is very dark.
The plot revolves around gay two heroin addicts, William Lee and Eugene Allerton. Lee is unable to win Allerton's affection but they do decide to travel together to find a hallucinogenic drug. Lee tells Allerton that he will pay for his trip to the remote rainforest where the drug can be found if he will have sex with him.

If you have never read Burroughs this is the place to start and for those that read him, this is a great addition to the library. Unlike other works by the author this one is totally readable. Simply put, "Queer" describes a man's search for his identity and recognition in society and most gay men experience this sometime in their lives.
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essays & other writings ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Burroughs-Phile
This installment to the W.S. Burroughs library is a good one.It's full of interesting anecdotes, general thoughts, bits of conversations, and the classic Burroughs cut-up style prose.This book contains not only thesethings, but some original pages out of Burroughs' personal cut-upnotebooks.These pages contain pictures from his travels abroad, newspaperclippings, and referrences to characters in his novels.This is a nicecompilation of short works from foreign press publications, but it merelylacks one element, and that is "purpose".Burroughs did notwrite this book as he did his others to prove a point, or to introduce anew thought into the mainstream of our collective psyche.In fact, thisbook was produced as sort of a "Greatest Hits" compilation. Otherwise, this is a great read for both the fan of beat literature, andthe intellectual interested in broadening his/her horizons.

HARD CORE BURROUGHS !!!
This is a collection of short Burroughs pieces from various "little mags...Burroughs' principal literary output between 1962 and 1969 appeared in these obscure places, and most of the pieces collected in The Burroughs File date from that period".  The writing drifts from being utterly petrifying to...what the hell is this?  "VERTIGO OF DEAD LANGUAGES THE PULLEY AND THE COMPASS LAGOONS OF MURDEROUS SLEEP-(THEY SHARED THE salmon)-HEAVY STICKY NIGHTS INKY CLOUDS HAUNTING SHADOWS COMPASS DRIPPING GEOMETRY". If you're up for it it can blow your mind, but if you've never read Burroughs before LEAVE THE BUILDING NOW!  And even if you have, make sure one of those books is one of the cut-up trilogy--I'd recommend Nova Express. 

This book also contains photocopies of pages from his scrapbooks, and a couple essays on Burroughs. ... Read more

Product Description
Author Burroughs' son, who died at of the age of 34, penned two shattering autobiographical novels which offer his vision of alienated youth at its most raw and uncensored. "A compelling narrative that balances the methedrine horrors with the outcast's romantic search for identity."--Rolling Stone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Junky before birth
Billy Jr. is not the writer that his father is, but who is? If you are looking for the ... style(?) of the father forget it. Billy Jr. has his own style and it reads as something from the 60's drug culture instead of the 40' & 50's. Jr. is swift with his words and exceedingly hip with the lines: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't get stoned." So-o-o-o many of the lines in this book can easily be turned into book titles. It is a factual account of his depressing life addicted to drugs. Speed, is about his drug hustling in NYC and being bailed out twice by uncle Allen Ginsburg.
Kentucky Ham, is his experiences coming back to Florida and then the Lexington Rehab Center. Of the two Speed is the better and quicker read. Ham has a tendency to drag toward the end and his life in Alaska fishing is downright boring. Overall both are a good read for a writer that was cursed from birth.

Outstanding works
WSB Jr. is no knock-off or imitation of his father. Equally talented, their styles are vastly different. While I enjoy the work of WSB Sr., his style can be difficult to follow at times. WSB Jr. on the other hand is so direct and matter of fact, it's refreshing. No romanticism, or overt drama. No intellectual or philosophical debates. He just starts to tell his story and does a great job of keeping you engaged and along for the ride. And what a wild ride, albeit tragic, it is.

Fascinating work
I was a close friend of Billy Jr. for many years, and knew his father, the immortal William S. Burroughs, when I founded the Santa Cruz Poetry Festival in the 1970's.The son was no mere imitation of the father, though the subject of these books, drug addiction, would lead you toward that conclusion.Billy was one of the saddest, most tragic figures I had ever known, and also one of the kindest, most entertaining and charming.He is testimony to the "offspring of greatness", syndrome: the curse of trying to emulate and duplicate the father.These are remarkable books, perhaps as relevent to the insanity of the 60's and 70's, the self indulgent, self-destructive underbelly of all that hope and optimism and freedom that Naked Lunch and Howl and Dharma Bums had represented to the 50's. Billy Jr. could write, Billy was a human yo-yo, full of pain and rage, resistant to society's conventions and ultimately his own worst enemey.I belive he had two liver transplants before he was 32.He told us on numerous occasions that he was present when his father shot his mother during an infamous, abortive game of "William Tell" in Mexico.I have never been able to verify that, as I never had the courage to ask Wiliam Sr. on the rare occasions I was with him.Anyway, very few writers are inseparable from their work.There was nothing fabricated in either Speed or Kentucky Ham: this is Billy Burroughs, Jr., son of a legend, a modest legend in his own right, and I don't think a study of the 60's would be complete without seeing this dark, painful, resilient, hopeful, despairing, all-too-brief mini-body of work left behind by Billy.It is almost a litmus test for which path you took at a very young age.If life was too painful to be lived, Billy took the right one.I"m not sure that's what he wanted, he just didn't know how to step outside himself for very long.I loved these books, and I loved Billy JR.James Dalessandro, author, Canary In A Coal Mine, Citizen Jane, Bohemian Heart and 1906

Amazing books
I never tire of reading these books and have read them over and over again. This book touches you especially if you have had an addiction to anything like drugs. William Jr can make you laugh and weep in the same chapter. These books leave you with a profound sadness but they stay with you even after you are done reading them. The thing is you are never done because I have returned to them over and over again. This is an honest look into the world of addiction. It's not a pretty picture but it is not a preachy book on the " evils " of drugs. It just describes the author's experience with speed. A terrific read. I know it will touch you as it has touched me. It is a shame that William Jr left us so early.

Salient points aplenty, entertainment as well.
Yes, Billy Junior was not his father: read this thinking of him as his own person with his own habit.That said, I was surprised how much impression this duo-novel had on me.For one thing, it's authentic.This guy knew his drugs and how to talk candidly about them.I found myself laughing with him, rooting for him when he started to get in trouble.

Another value this book has, especially the Kentucky Ham segment, is a crash course (no pun intended) on what can make a drug rehabilitation program actually have the effect that such things so seldom do: Bill Jr. suggests that addicts need the chance to "put in a new brain" and do it for themselves, without all the BS and indoctriation that come with most drug treatment facilities.The program Billy was involved with helped small groups of addicts to travel to Alaska and join fishing crews.While playing Eskimo for months he learned to re-acquaint himself with the rhythms of his body, the demands of surviving, and learn what the unpretentious lifeclose to nature can often offer people who have forgotten the basics. (I wonder if programs like this still exist sometimes, ones without any of that "faith based" nonsense.) All told, a great book that any lover of drugs should have a gander at. It is, to my great delight,completely unjudgmental about drugs and their users: he simply decided enough was enough when it was time to. ... Read more

Product Description
(the movie got its title from this earlier book) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Literary Travesty...
Not having read the novel upon which this screenplay was based, I can't make any comparisons so my comments deal only with this book.The beginning third of the book is well written with some amazing foresight.It deals with the background of the "screenplay"; medical care for the halves and the halve nots; the lack of adequate medical coverage, national health policies, rampant drug abuse and socialized medicine.Pretty good stuff all in all.Then...the "screenplay" starts.This part of the book was without question the worst bit of contrived garbage I have ever read!I can only assume Burroughs wrote this last bit using his cut-up technique as it ridiculously put together, doesn't flow and he could not help but inject himself in the story.(It opens with the reader finding out the protaganist,Billy, is homosexual which has NOTHING to do with the rest of the story); hence completely irrelevent.

This book was a waste of time and money.Buy this book only if you feel you might run out of toilet paper.

Confused? I can help!
After reading the other reviews, I thought I would answer some of the questions that occur from reading the amazon blurb and the reviews.This is not a review of the book; it is an attempt to help you understand what happened between 3 different books - all of which are titled Blade Runner.

Alan E. Nourse wrote the original book titled "The Bladerunner".(IMPORTANT - note the difference in the titles. One has a "space" between "Blade Runner", the other title "The Bladerunner" does not have a "space".) It is totally a different book and plot from the Philip K Dick novel originally titled "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".The plot is as described above or on the amazon page regarding the original Alan E Nourse book.When the movie (Blade Runner) was made, the directors/producers changed the name from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" to Blade Runner.This is because the movie "Blade Runner" left out or edited out the aspects of the story that gave the original title it's meaning and pertinence. (If you have read the original Philip K Dick story you know what I mean.) I think if you watch the credits closely you will see that Alan E Nourse is given credit for the title.I don't know if they bought the title from him or not.

The book, "Blade Runner: A Movie" by William S Burroughs is essentially Burroughs attempt to rewrite Nourse's book into a form from which a movie could be made.

Here is what Wikipedia says regarding this issue: "His novel (meaning Nourse) The Bladerunner lent its name to the Blade Runner movie, but no other aspects of its plot or characters, which were taken from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In the late 1970s an attempt to adapt The Bladerunner for the screen was made, with Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs commissioned to write a story treatment; no film was ever developed but the story treatment was later published as the novella, Blade Runner (a movie)." The first sentence of this quote is a poorly written sentence.The author of the wikipedia article was trying to say that ONLY the title "Blade Runner" was borrowed from Nourse.Everything else in the movie is stricly from the Philip K Dick novel.

I have not read the Burroughs version yet. I will be buying it just to round out my "collection" of items regarding an interesting story of scifi history. I greatly enjoy other William Burroughs books but suspect I won't be happy with this "interpretation" for movie making purposes. I gave it 3 stars just to give it the benefit of the doubt.

In 1979 WSB questions the creation of Nat'l Healthcare
Burroughs's Blade Runner, A Movie, though as noted in previous reviews, bears no relation to the P.K. Dick work by the same title, it is nonetheless a far-reaching work of science fiction which explores the potential ramifications of the state of the nation if national health care were to be instituted (the work was penned in 1979).Though many people, when confronting a sci-fi work that has become literal in one sense yet in other aspects have yet to occur, will prey upon the latter while failing to salute the former.However, many times such critics are only exercising half of their literary aestheticism, for these people quickly forget the literal and the metaphorical are, at its best moments, entirely inseparable.With this in mind, yes, part of what Burroughs has written has occurred in regards to the implementation of HMOs yet other aspects have, and will not, but are to be taken metaphorically.Yet, regardless of interpretation, it is a tale told by a master that is easily accessible (even for Burroughs).Blade Runner is entertaining, and as always with WSB, thought provoking.

Nothing New, and No Real Connections to the Film
If you're looking for a connection to Ridley Scott's brilliant 1981 film release, you won't have it here.The only real connection is the title itself.It strikes me that someone creative and well-read in the Blade Runner film development came upon a phrase which just wouldn't let go, and that's how we got the term for the film.But wait, this was the term in Philip K. Dick's original book--so who knows which came first...Burroughs' description here and that in the film are similar in their urban and societal context, but that's about where they end.

Reading this book, it strikes me that the producers of Escape from New York read this novel, and took an awful lot of creative vision away from it.This is especially true of the descriptions of a decrepit and decaying New York City, walled, populated by the dead, dying, and murdering, and where entire cultures flourish hundreds of feet above in the dead skyscrapers.

Written in late 70s,published first in 1979.Set in 1999, or maybe 2014, or maybe 1984, or maybe any number of time citations Burroughs coughs up.

Basically it's a futuristic nightmare, a technological hell in which the state has taken over all aspects of life, bureaucracy dictates every waking moment, and the medical institution is the vilest, most corrupt, most bloodthirsty, and most reckless of them all.Underground and legit drugs, as well as designer plagues all vie in the marketplace.Genetics are manipulated and diseases are voluntarily contracted for the material and physiological benefits the accrue.

Inside this hell the blade runner is central."Essential to underground medicine are the blade runners, who transfer the actual drugs, instruments and equipment from the suppliers to the clients and doctors and underground clinics." The second half of the book, all two-dozen-odd pages of it follows Billy and his mates, blade runners all, as they fight their way through life on the street.

If you're a Burroughs fan, you've seen it all before in Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads.Nothing exotic or new or surprising here.This is a good addition to complete your Burroughs library, but not much more.

Off-cuts should not be published.
This very short book will disappoint all but the most blindly fanatical Burroughs fans. A series of sketches inspired by the Nourse novel of thesame name, it simply repeats well-worn themes dealt with more effectivelyelsewhere in his work. It seems to be the collected results of an abortedattempt to write a novel or screenplay, and from these insipid, lifelessscenes it is easy to see why it was aborted. The only question is: whydisplay the lifeless corpse to the reading public? Methinks his manager wasbehind this unwise decision$$$

For completists only. ... Read more

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Product Description
stories, w/graphic comic art by S. Clay Wilson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting, but not essential Burroughs
Comes across a bit like watered down Burroughs, but this writing is interesting because it's so stripped down--acoustic Burroughs--lacking the electrical force of the explosion of images, and rape and plundering of words which typifies Burroughs--but while retaining Burroughs' subject matter.

This first piece in this book however is the exception--"Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986"--lays out Burroughs' position on America rather sweetly. ... Read more