William S. Burroughs

William Seward Burroughs , more known under its pen name William S. Burroughs , born the February 5th 1914 with Saint Louis (Missouri), died with Lawrence (Kansas) the August 2nd 1997), is an American novelist.

Mainly known for its hallucinated novels mixing drug, homosexuality and anticipation, it is associated with the Beat Generation and its emblematic figures (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg). One retains also to him his literary use of the Cut-up , technique (developed in a small cankered hotel room, street Lie-the-Heart with Paris with Brion Gysin) which consists in recreating a text starting from bits cut out and mixed randomly, sometimes using fragments of other authors.

Quotation extracted the book Queer Happy of Regina Marler: “Whereas Kerouac turned over food with his/her mother in the Sixties and married the sister of a friend of childhood, and that Ginsberg reigned during the years hippies, in fact the years 1980 and 1990 were going to be the era of William Burroughs, darkest of the three angels of the Beat Generation. ”

Biography

William Seward Burroughs is born in a middle-class family. He is the grandson of another William Seward Burroughs, the inventor of the first accounting machine and founder of the “Burroughs Adding Machine Company”. His/her mother, Laura Lee Burroughs, are the girl of a man of the church whose family claimed ascent of Robert E. Lee. Burroughs studies medicine with Vienna, experiment of which it kept all its life a taste pronounced for the surgery and the modifications of the body, the chemistry of the brain and drugs. It enters to the university of Harvard for a license of English literature which it leaves graduate in 1936. Its experiment of Harvard is summarized at the beginning of Junky : “I hated the university and the city in which I lived. All in it had died. The university was a false English decoration between the hands of graduates of false English colleges. ”

In 1944, Burroughs lives with Joan Vollmer in an apartment divided with Jack Kerouac and his first wife Edie Parker. It is at this period that it starts its consumption of Héroïne, by trouble. He marries Joan in 1946 with the project to found a family. Their son William S. Burroughs Jr. in 1947 is born, with the Texas. The September 6th 1951, on a journey to Mexico City, Burroughs, drunk, keep silent accidentally its wife of a ball in full head whereas it tried to reproduce the performance of Guillaume Tell, which split of an arrow apple posed on the head of his/her son. Burroughs is accused for manslaughter but escapes the prison by joining the Mexico in 1952 then by living years from wandering: he traverses the South America in the search of a drug hallucinogen of the name of Yagé, then the North Africa before settling with Tangier, with the Morocco.

In 1956, it starts a first detoxification therapy with the assistance of John Dent, a London doctor who invented the cure of Apomorphine, the only effective cure as regards detoxication. At the conclusion of the treatment, it moves in with legendary “the Beat hotel” in Paris where it accumulates masses of fragments of manuscript pages. With the assistance of Ginsberg and Kerouac, it makes publish the naked Feast by Olympia Press. The fragments become on their side the three epistles of a trilogy: the soft Machine , the Ticket which exploded and Nova express train . After its exit, the naked Festin is continued for obscenity by the State of the Massachusetts then many others. In 1966, the Supreme court of Massachusetts declares finally the book “not obscene”, which opens the door with other work like those of Henry Miller (in particular its Tropic of Cancer ).

Burroughs leaves for London in 1960 when it publishes many small texts in magazines " underground" , working in same time on a project which is published in three parts: wild Boys , Exterminating! and Harbor Of the Saints . It turns over to New York in 1974 when he becomes professor of writing during some time, before realizing that the writing cannot be taught.

In the Years 1980 and 1990, Burroughs starts to attract many icons of the culture Pop . It appears in particular in the film Drugstore Cowboy of Gus Van Sant. In 1990, its collaboration with Bob Wilson and Tom Waits gives rise to the part Black Rider which was played the first time at Thalia Theater of Hamburg, the March 31st 1990. Burroughs also takes part in recordings of its texts for Industrial Records, the label of Throbbing Gristle (" Nothing Here Now Drank The Recordings"), Sonic Youth (" Dead City Radio"), Kurt Cobain (" The Priest They Called Him"), R.E.M., Ministry and Bill Laswell, inter alia. It is decorated about Chevalier with Arts and Lettres in 1984, at the time of its arrival in France with the Printemps of Bourges with Brion Gysin.

Burroughs is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. That one privileges his ideas or his prose, one can only see one man as shining and fulgurating as chaotic and self-destroying. Those which knew it describe it like an intelligent and calm man, being interested in the Science-fiction, the cats and the firearms.

He dies in his property of Lawrence (Kansas) on August 2nd, 1997, of complications related to an heart attack. In France, the newspaper Libération pays homage to him the following day by devoting to him its one, a rifle with the hand.

French publications

Junky
the white subway

Letters of yagé

the naked Feast

the soft Machine

the Ticket which exploded

Trilogie/Dead Fingers Talk

Nova Express

the wild Boys - a book of dead the

Cross Œuvres

Cities of the scarlet night

Interzone

Shade of a chance

My education - a book of the dreams

Essais (2 volumes)

Queer

Between cats

Letters of Tangier with Allen Ginsberg

Takis (with Gregory Corso and Pierre Restany)

Ah! Pook is there and other tales

cross Work (with Brion Gysin)

the Last Words of Dutch Schultz

the Western Grounds

Exterminateur

electronic Révolution

Lettres 1945-1959

Original complete works

1952 - " Junky :

1952 - " Queer :
1959 - " Naked Lunch"
1963 - " Nova Express"
1967 - " The Ticket That Exploded"
1968 - " The Machine" Software;
1969 - " The Wild Servant boys: In Book off the Dead"
1970 - " The Last Words off Dutch Schultz: In Fiction in the Form off has Film Script"
1973 - " Exterminator! "
1975 - " Port off Saints"
1979 - " Blade Runner, has Movie"
1979 - " Ah Pook is Here and Other Texts"
1980 - " Cities off the Red Night"
1983 - " The Places Dead Roads" off;
1984 - " The Burroughs File"
1986 - " The Lands" Western;
1988 - " Interzone"
1991 - " Ghost off has Chance "
1992 - " Painting and Guns"
1994 - " My Education: In Book off Dreams"
1997 - " Last Words: Final The Journals off William Burroughs"
1998 - " Word Virus: The William Burroughs Reader"
2001 - " Naked Buffet: The Restored Text"
2003 - " Junky: Final The Text off “Junk” "

Collaborations

1960 - The Exterminator : with Brion Gysin. Auerhaun Close
1960 - Minutes To Go : with Brion Gysin, Sinclair Beiles and Gregory Corso. Two Cities Editions.
1967 - Darayt : with Lee Harwood. Lovebooks.
1967 - So Who Owns Death TV? : with Claude Pélieu and Carl Weissner. Beach Book Texts and Documents.
1970 - The Job: Interviews with William Burroughs (with Daniel Odier)
1970 - The Braille Film : with Carl Weissner.Nova Broadcast Near.
1970 - Third Mind : with Brion Gysin. Grove.
1971 - Kerouac' Jack '(in French): with Claude Pelieu.

1973 - Brion Gysin Let the Mice In : with Brion Gysin and Ian Somerville. Something Else Near.

1974 - " The Book off Breething " (with Bob Scale)

1975 - Sidetripping : with Charles Gatewood and Hunter S. Thompson. Strawberry Hill.

1975 - Snack bar : Two Types Transcripts: with Eric Mottram. Books aloe.

1981 - " With Carryforward from the Bunker " (with Victor Bockris)

1985 - " The Cat Inside " (with Brion Gysin)

1989 - " Tornado Alley " (with S. Clay Wilson)

Tests

1985 - The Adding Machine : Collected Essays. Calder.

Correspondences

1953 - " The Yagé Letters" (with Allen Ginsberg)
1981 - Letters to Allen Ginsberg , 1953-1957. Full Runs Near.
1993 - " The Letters Off William S. Burroughs" 1945-1959

Recordings

1965 - Cal Me Burroughs . English Bookstore.
1971 - vocals in " obsolète" of dashiell hedayat. shandar (LP, 1971) then will mantra (Cd, 1992)
1975 - William S . Burroughs/John Giorno. Giorno Poetry Systems.
1981 - " You' Re The Guy I Want To Share My Money With" (with Laurie Anderson and John Giorno) Giorno Poetry Systems.
1982 - Nothing Here Now drank the Recordings . Industrial Records.
1982 - Revolutions Per Minute (The Art Record). Ronald Feldmann Fine Arts.
1982 - Old Lady Sloan . Fresh Sounds.
1983 - " Big Science" (with Laurie Anderson)
1984 - " Sharkey' S Night" , of Laurie Anderson, on the album “Mister Heartbreak”
1985 - " The Elvis off Letters" (with Gus Van Sant)
1986 - " Home Off The Brave" (with Laurie Anderson)
1989 - " Seven Souls" of Material
1992 - " The `Priest', They Called Him" (with Kurt Cobain). Tim Kerr Records.
1990 - Dead City Radio operator .FilmsIsland Records, with John Fixes and Sonic Youth.
1993 - " Spare Ass Annie & Other Tales" , with Disposable Heroes off Hiphoprisy
1993 - " Quick Fix" , of Ministry, on the album “Just One Fix”
1993 - " You Aint No Sin" , of Tom Waits, on the rock opera “The Black To wrinkle”
1994 - " Words off Advice" , of Material, on the album “Hallucination Engine”
1996 - " Star Me Kitten" (with R.E.M.), on the B.O. “Songs in the Key off X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files”
1997 - " What Keeps Mankind Alive", on the album “September Songs: The Music off Kurt Weill”
1999 - " The Lands" Western; (with Iggy Pop), on the album “Hashisheen: The End off Law”
2001 - " Through station-wagon in Grey Room". Texts Read.
2006 - " Dr. Benway" (of the group Underwires) on the album In Your Room Again.

Catalog of films

1963 - Open Towers Fire, written by William S. Burroughs. Coréalisé by Antony Balch and William S. Burroughs. With William S. Burroughs.
1963 - William Buys has Parrot, written by William S. Burroughs, and carried out by Antony Balch.
1966 - Chappaqua, written and carried out by Conrad Rooks, with Allen Ginsberg and Ravi Shankar.
1966 - The Cut Ups, adapted and carried out by Antony Balch. According to a history of William S. Burroughs. With William S. Burroughs.
1968 - Häxan, written and carried out in 1922 per Benjamin Christensen. Version of 1968 told by William S. Burroughs.
1969 - Cain' S Film, written and carried out by Jamie Wadhawan. 27 minutes English Short-measuring with Alexander Trocchi and William S. Burroughs.
1970 - Prolog, Co-writing and carried out by Robin Spry. With Jean Genet, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs.
1972 - Bill and Tony, carried out by Antony Balch. Short-measuring with Antony Balch and William S. Burroughs.
1978 - Thot-Fal' NR, American short-measuring carried out by Stan Brakhage. With Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and William S. Burroughs.
1978 - Fried Shoes Cooked Diamonds, with Amiri Luck, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary and William S. Burroughs.
1981 - Energy and How to Get It, carried out by the photographer Robert Frank.
1981 - Saturday Night Live of November 7th, 1981.
1982 - The off Disciplines D.E., adapted and carried out by Gus Van Sant. According to a news of William S. Burroughs.
1982 - Poetry in Motion, realized by Ron Mann. With Charles Bukowski, John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, Michael Ondaatje, ED Sanders, Gary Snyder, Tom Waits, Anne Waldman and William S. Burroughs.
1983 - Taking Tiger Mountain, feature-length film of science fiction realized by Tom Huckabee. According to the history Blade Runner, Movie of William S. Burroughs has. With Lou Montgomery and Bill Paxton.
1983 - Pirate Types, carried out by Derek jarman. English Short-measuring with William S. Burroughs.
1984 - To decode, carried out by Muscha. History of Klaus Maeck. With William Rice and William S. Burroughs.
1984 - It Don' T Pay to Be year Honest Citizen, carried out by Burckhardt Jacob, with Allen Ginsberg, William Rice and William S. Burroughs.
1985 - BURROUGHS, of Howard Brookner. Documentary on the life of William S. Burroughs.
1985 - Ornette: Made In America, documentary of Shirley Clarke, with William S. Burroughs, Ornette Coleman, Brion Gysin and Eugene Tatum.
1985 - What Happened to Kerouac? , with images of Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Jan Kerouac, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.
1985 - Kerouac, the Movie.
1986 - Home off the Brave man, has Film by Laurie Anderson, written and carried out by Laurie Anderson.
1987 - Happy The Generation - Year American Dream, carried out by Janet Forman.
1989 - Drugstore Cowboy, adapted and carried out by Gus Van Sant.
1989 - Bloodhounds off Broadway, coadapté and carried out by Howard Brookner.
1989 - Heavy Petting, documentary of with Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Anderson and William S. Burroughs.
1990 - Twister, of Michael Almereyda. With Harry Dean Stanton, Crispin Glover and William S. Burroughs.
1990 - Thanksgiving Prayer, carried out by Gus Van Sant.
1990 - Laurie Anderson: Collected Videos.
1991 - Wax, but the Discovery off Television Among the Bees, written and carried out by David Blair.
1991 - William S. Burroughs: To commission Sewers, documentary carried out off by Klaus Maeck.
1992 - Naked Making Buffet, of Chris Rodley, with David Cronenberg and William S. Burroughs.
1993 - The Junky' S Christmas, Co-carried out by Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel, and adapted by William S. Burroughs and James Grauerholz.
1993 - Disposable Heroes off Hyphoprisy: " In Junky Christmas". Video clip.
1993 - Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, of Gus Van Sant.
1994 - Ah, Pook Is Here, of Philip Hunt.
1994 - Drug-Taking and the Arts, documentary fiction of Storm Thorgerson.
1994 - The Life and Times off Allen Ginsberg.
1995 - The Music off Kurt Weill: September Songs. Documentary
1997 - Last Night One Earth, video clip of the U2 group, drawn from the Pop album

External bonds

Critical arts person of the naked Feast of William S.Burroughs

French Site on William S. Burroughs, gallery, quotations, topicality…
HTTP: /www.inter-zone.org Interzone.org Network of artistic and literary collective intelligence around William Burroughs and Brion Gysin
audio Book (reading mp3) of the incipit of My Education: A book of the dreams
Series of articles and poems Cut-up

Simple: William S. Burroughs

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