You dont wake up one morning and decide to be a drug addict. A primary figure of the beat generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative. This book was titled junky after all and was being recommendedlent to me by someone who had earlier reassured me that william s. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are william s. His first published work, it is semiautobiographical and focuses on burroughs life as a drug user and dealer. In his debut novel, junky, burroughs fictionalized his experiences using and peddling heroin and other drugs in the 1950s into a work that.
Burroughs did, in fact, start using heroin in 1944 and within a year, he was an addict. Six years before he published his breakthrough novel, naked lunch 1959, william s. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. William leebillis the narrator and protagonist of the novel. The 2003 definitive edition recreated the original text and included previously lost passages and a new chapter, together with additional material. Junky by william s burroughs penguin books australia. The definitive text of junk penguin modern classics. This novel tells stories of lurid adventures and serious drug abuseall from the junkies point of view. Feb 11, 2014 junky and william burroughs oblique moral vision its apparently impassive descriptions of a heroin addicts life still lay out rights and wrongs pretty plainly sam jordison. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 208 pages and is available in paperback format. In 1951, in a drunken william tell stunt, he accidentally shot and killed his commonlaw wife. Burroughs successfully tells his story using simple language making junky an easy but engaging read. Feb 01, 2014 the original cover of junkie by william lee second, although the bulk of junky was in place before the killing, burroughs continued to revise the text at least as late as july 1952, including. For this definitive edition, renowned burroughs scholar oliver harris has gone back to archival typescripts to recreated the authors original text word by word.
Burroughs was a primary figure of the beat generation and a major postmodernist author whose influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Burroughs introduction when i lived in mexico city at the end of the 1940s, it was a city of one million people, with clear sparkling air and the sky that special shade of blue that goes so well with circling vultures, blood and sandthe raw menacing pitiless mexican blue. Junky and william burroughs oblique moral vision books. If youre a fan of william burroughs work, a complete reading of junkie, by william burroughs himself, has recently appeared online, for free. The definitive text of junk kindle edition by burroughs.
The original cover of junkie by william lee second, although the bulk of junky was in place before the killing, burroughs continued to. February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american writer and visual artist. He states he was born 1914 to an established, wealthy. Burroughs, published initially under the pseudonym william lee in 1953. In 1977 the expurgations of the earlier edition were undone, and the title changed from junkie to junky. Burroughs first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of. Burroughs 1999 last words 2000 and the hippos were boiled in their tanks 2008 junky the definitive text of junk william s. In work and in life burroughs expressed a lifelong subversion of the morality, politics and economics of modern america. The soft machine introduced us to the conditions of a universe where endemic lusts of the mind and body pray upon men, hook them, and turn them into beasts. It was his first published novel and has come to be considered a.
Forget for a moment that this was burroughs first book, put aside the fact that he was himself a junky, and put your personal opinions of drug use and abuse, as. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Burroughs is the second book ive read as part of a miniproject of mine to examine the place of the heroin junky in literature. William burroughs the original junkie books the guardian. Junkie alternately titled junky is a 1953 semiautobiographical novel by william s. Some new material, and an introduction by allen ginsberg were added. Louis, missouri on february 5, 1914, to laura lee and mortimer burroughs, grandson and namesake of william s. Junky and william burroughs oblique moral vision its apparently impassive descriptions of a heroin addicts life still lay out rights and wrongs pretty plainly sam jordison. While young men wage war against an evil empire of zealous mutants, the population of this modern inferno is afflicted w.
This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of junky. Its safe to say that the book wouldnt have seen the light of day if allen ginsberg hadnt taken burroughs under his wing and edited. Burroughs wrote this book much based on his own experience with addiction decades ago, and i think itll forever be potent. In his debut novel, junky, burroughs fictionalized his experiences using and peddling heroin and other drugs in the 1950s into a work that reads like a field report from the underworld of postwar america. Burroughs wrote junk, his first book, a candid, eyewitness account of times and places. In his debut novel, junky, burroughs fictionalized his experiences using and peddling. Burroughs published junky, an irresistible strungout ode to the joys and perversities of drug addiction. It is a way of life william burroughs, legendary drug addict, founder member of the beats and author of naked lunch, relates with unflinching realism the addicts life. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on junky by william s. Burroughs published junky, an irresistible strungout ode. Read junky the definitive text of junk by william s. Burroughs, the inventor of the first marketable adding machine.
Junkie by william burroughs, first edition abebooks. Burroughs edited and with an introduction by oliver harris grove press. Burroughs moved to lawrence, kansas, in 1981 and lived the remainder of his life there, at 1927 learnard avenue. Nov 23, 2012 junky, a semiautobiographical novel by william s. If public schools really wanted kids to abstain from injecting needles in their arms they should drop d. Joan didion in 1953, at the height of american conformism and anticommunist hysteria, william s. Junky william seward burroughs gallimard ebook epub. Burroughss nightmarish futuristic tale one step further. A shocking expose of the desperate subculture surrounding heroin addiction, william s. Will self on junky of all the beat generation writers, william s. Burroughs, including the naked lunch, and junky, and more on. Its a very straightforward, nononsense and notearjerker experience as burroughs writes of lees addictions, faltering friendships, his fleeting meets with people while trying to attain drugs as quickly as possible, at times doing anything for it.
Burroughs reads his first novel, junky open culture. Junky is burroughs s first book and is written in a very straightforward, almost journalistic, style. Not only does it have the structural theme of travel throughout, in keeping with the beat generation feel, junky is also laced with many concepts. He was anarchys double agent, an implacable enemy of conformity and of all agencies of controlfrom government to opiates. It is a way of life william burroughs, legendary drug. Not only does it have the structural theme of travel throughout, in keeping with the beat generation feel, junky is also laced with many concepts that came to categorize the coming counterculture in psylit, and beyond.
The definitive text of junk kindle edition by burroughs, william s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It takes at least three months shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short. Burroughs broke into the literary scene with junky sometimes also called junkie, a candid, semiautobiographical account of an unredeemed drug addict. Burroughs, published initially under the pseudonym william lee. The answer is that he usually does not intend to become an addict. The first edition of the novel was published in april 15th 1953, and was written by william s. Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junky is burroughss first book and is written in a very straightforward, almost journalistic, style. Burroughs was born on february 5, 1914 in st louis.
Burroughs junkie november 10, 2012 june 16, 2015 freshlyworded junkie by influential beat generation writer william s. From the tenements of new york to the queer bars of new orleans, junky takes the reader into a world at once longforgotten and still with us today. This is the first book i read of william s burroughs, i have to say it was a. Forget for a moment that this was burroughs first book, put aside the fact that he was himself a junky, and put your personal opinions of drug use and abuse, as well as burroughs himself, on hold.
February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer. Burroughs voice is hard, derisive, inventive, free, funny, serious, poetic, indelibly american. The story follows a man at odds with american mainstream culture into a quest for spiritual meaning via heroin. Burroughs first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Reality televisions got nothing on william burroughs. Burroughs junky is edited with an introduction by oliver harris in penguin modern classics.
It is a short, quick read and a superb glimpse behind the curtains of the fifties counterculture burroughs was friends with beat generation icon jack kerouac and junky was championed by allen ginsberg. Before his 1959 breakthrough, naked lunch, an unknown william s. You will be glad to know that right now junky william s burroughs pdf is available on our online library. The definitive text of junk 50th anniversary edition by william s. Burroughs first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of. Junky by william burroughs and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading junky. In 1953, at the height of american conformism and anticommunist hysteria, william s. With our online resources, you can find junky william s burroughs or just about any. Burroughs, is a seductive story set at the inception of the hip subculture in america.
Junk is not, like alcohol or a weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Burroughs was indeed the most amoral of the altogether quite amoral beats. Oct 02, 2012 junk is not, like alcohol or a weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Mar 09, 2009 junky, first published in 1952, is one of the first examples of contemporary drug literature. Junky is the kind of novel that you cannot read until you abandon all pretenses. Junkie by william burroughs abebooks passion for books. The definitive text of junk 50th anniversary edition. The book is less than two hundred pages, which, if the book was any longer it would have fallen short. His first published novel was the largely autobiographical junky, which remains a classic depiction of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses he was victim to for most of his life. Finding success with his confessional first novel, junkie 1953, burroughs is perhaps best known for his third novel naked lunch 1959. Burroughs this study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of junky. Burroughs reads from the place of dead roads and the cat inside. Junky by william s burroughs and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Burroughs and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It is a candid eyewitness account of times and places that are now long gone, an unvarnished field report from the american postwar underground. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict originally titled junk, later released as junky is a novel by american beat generation writer william s. To escape those conditions, and in particular his treatment as.
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