William S. Burroughs Bio and Works
American Novelist and Short-Story Writer Famous for Naked Lunch
Aug 22, 2009
William S. Burroughs was a founder of the 1950s Beat Generation, which experimented with the new ways of writing that developed an alternative culture in the process. His most famous novel, Naked Lunch, is a vivid account of the terrifying world of drug addiction and a satire on human weaknesses.
Brief Biography of William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 5, 1914. Educated at public schools, he went on to study at Harvard. He had the same name as his grandfather, the inventor of the famous Burroughs adding machine. He traveled and studied in Europe after graduation, then worked for an advertising agency in New York City. Later, he joined the army, and took odd jobs in Chicago.
Late in his 20s, he returned to New York and got married. Through his wife, he met the writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. The three friends launched the Beat Generation, a group of prominent American writers in the 1950s, later called "beatniks." He died from heart failure, August 2, 1997, aged 83.
The Beatnik and Drug Addict
The Beat Generation experimented with drugs, but Burroughs became addicted to heroin. His first novel, Junkie, was published under the pen name William Lee when he was 39. It gives a realistic account of a drug addict's life. Often, he had to move to avoid the police and fled to Mexico City after a drug raid. While there he accidentally shot and killed his wife, Joan Vollmer.
He traveled in South America and lived for a time in Tangiers. After failed attempts to cure his addiction, he submitted to a treatment in London in 1957, which proved successful. Eventually he settled in Lawrence, Kansas later in the 1960s.
Insight to William S. Burroughs Life and Works
Regarded as the founder of the Beat Generation, his most famous book, Naked Lunch, in part deals with his addiction to heroin. His novels continue to explore addiction to drugs and sex, such as The Soft Machine and Nova Express, and even those developed later, but are more experimental and dreamlike. He also published his collected essays in 1986.
Although his writings are highly controversial with critics divided in review of his work from qualifying as strictly literary works, Burroughs is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
Works by William S. Burroughs
- Junkie, 1953
- Naked Lunch, 1959
- The Ticket That Exploded, 1962
- Nova Express, 1964
- The Soft Machine, 1966
- Cities of the Red Night, 1981
- Letters to Allen Ginsberg, 1982
- Queer, 1985
- The Cat Inside, 1986
- Ghost of a Chance, 1991
Sources:
- Briggs, Asa, Consultant Editor. Oxford Who's Who in the 20th Century. Oxford: OUP, 1999.
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
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