William S. Burroughs

William Seward Burroughs (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic and spoken word performer. Much of Burroughs' work is semi-autobiographical, drawn from his experiences as an opiate addict, which he often distored using surreal or graphic imagery, experimental structures, and a strong satirical voice. Burroughs stated that he saw all his writing as a single, vast book; indeed, the same characters and themes often reappear intermittently throughout his oeuvre.

Literary stardom

Burroughs moved to London in the early 1960s and published extensively in small underground magazines, also working on a large manuscript that was published in two parts, The Wild Boys (1971) and Port of Saints (1973). He also interacted with like-minded writers such as Alexander Trocchi and Jeff Nuttall and lived with another male hustler/prostitute who occasionally brought home girlfriends.

Related Topics:
London - 1960s - Underground - The Wild Boys - 1971 - Port of Saints - 1973 - Alexander Trocchi - Jeff Nuttall

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Burroughs told French journalist Daniel Odier that he did not believe in love, that it was a 'female con' designed to get men to care for females. In the book, The Job, which Odier published, Burroughs speaks very poorly of women in general. He states that through homosexual relations men can give each other a type of 'recognition', but not love.

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Burroughs never had a lasting romantic attachment during his life, at least in a sense of mutually exclusive and monogamous. There are some instances where he pursued males who were not completely gay.

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In the 1970s he moved back to New York City because Ginsberg had got him a job teaching writing at New York City College. During this time, Burroughs lived in a converted old YMCA gym and locker room in the Lower East Side, which became known as ?Bill's bunker.? Burroughs also associated with a diverse cast of New York cultural players, including Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Susan Sontag, Dennis Hopper, Terry Southern, and Mick Jagger. Victor Bockris' William Burroughs: A Report from the Bunker records this period of his life.

Related Topics:
1970s - New York City - New York City College - YMCA - Lower East Side - Andy Warhol - Patti Smith - Susan Sontag - Dennis Hopper - Terry Southern - Mick Jagger

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He also first met, through Ginsberg, James Grauerholz, who would become his long time manager, editor, biographer, and friend. Grauerholz helped Burroughs finish another trilogy of novels: Cities of the Red Night (1981), Place of Dead Roads (1985), and The Western Lands (1987). These novels show an influence of Eastern/Arabic mystical occult philosophy. Burrough had developed an interest in the occult and even joined the Illuminates of Thanateros, a ?secret society.?

Related Topics:
James Grauerholz - Cities of the Red Night - 1981 - Place of Dead Roads - 1985 - The Western Lands - 1987 - Mystical - Illuminates of Thanateros

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The 1970s also saw Burroughs join, then leave the Church of Scientology http://www.suburbia.com.au/~fun/scn/etc/wsb3.html. His subsequent critical writings about the church and his review of a book entitled Inside Scientology by Robert Kaufman led to a battle of letters between Burroughs and Scientology supporters that played out in the pages of Rolling Stone; the highlights of this confrontation were later reprinted in the chapbook Ali's Smile/Naked Scientology alongside a short story inspired by his experiences. Gysin once suggested that Burroughs was one of the few people who made more money from Scientology than Scientology made from him.

Related Topics:
1970s - Church of Scientology - Robert Kaufman - Rolling Stone

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