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Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews, 1960-1997
Burroughs Live gathers all the interviews, both published and unpublished, given by William Burroughs, as well as conversations with well-known writers, artists, and musicians such as Tenessee Williams, Timothy Leary, Patti Smith,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.
Burroughs Live gathers all the interviews, both published and unpublished, given by William Burroughs, as well as conversations with well-known writers, artists, and musicians such as Tenessee Williams, Timothy Leary, Patti Smith,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.
Burroughs Live gathers all the interviews, both published and unpublished, given by William Burroughs, as well as conversations with well-known writers, artists, and musicians such as Tenessee Williams, Timothy Leary, Patti Smith,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.
- GenresNonfiction
675 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
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245 people want to read
About the author
William S. Burroughs
449 books7,009 followersWilliam Seward Burroughs II, (also known by his pen name William Lee) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer.
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 artists of the 20th century".
His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote 18 novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays.
Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
He was born to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, grandson of the inventor and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, William Seward Burroughs I, and nephew of public relations manager Ivy Lee. Burroughs began writing essays and journals in early adolescence. He left home in 1932 to attend Harvard University, studied English, and anthropology as a postgraduate, and later attended medical school in Vienna. After being turned down by the Office of Strategic Services and U.S. Navy in 1942 to serve in World War II, he dropped out and became afflicted with the drug addiction that affected him for the rest of his life, while working a variety of jobs. In 1943 while living in New York City, he befriended Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, the mutually influential foundation of what became the countercultural movement of the Beat Generation.
Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, primarily drawn from his experiences as a heroin addict, as he lived throughout Mexico City, London, Paris, Berlin, the South American Amazon and Tangier in Morocco. Finding success with his confessional first novel, Junkie (1953), Burroughs is perhaps best known for his third novel Naked Lunch (1959), a controversy-fraught work that underwent a court case under the U.S. sodomy laws. With Brion Gysin, he also popularized the literary cut-up technique in works such as The Nova Trilogy (1961–64). In 1983, Burroughs was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1984 was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France. Jack Kerouac called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift", a reputation he owes to his "lifelong subversion" of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism. J. G. Ballard considered Burroughs to be "the most important writer to emerge since the Second World War", while Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius".
Burroughs had one child, William Seward Burroughs III (1947-1981), with his second wife Joan Vollmer. Vollmer died in 1951 in Mexico City. Burroughs was convicted of manslaughter in Vollmer's death, an event that deeply permeated all of his writings. Burroughs died at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, after suffering a heart attack in 1997.
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 artists of the 20th century".
His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote 18 novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays.
Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
He was born to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, grandson of the inventor and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, William Seward Burroughs I, and nephew of public relations manager Ivy Lee. Burroughs began writing essays and journals in early adolescence. He left home in 1932 to attend Harvard University, studied English, and anthropology as a postgraduate, and later attended medical school in Vienna. After being turned down by the Office of Strategic Services and U.S. Navy in 1942 to serve in World War II, he dropped out and became afflicted with the drug addiction that affected him for the rest of his life, while working a variety of jobs. In 1943 while living in New York City, he befriended Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, the mutually influential foundation of what became the countercultural movement of the Beat Generation.
Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, primarily drawn from his experiences as a heroin addict, as he lived throughout Mexico City, London, Paris, Berlin, the South American Amazon and Tangier in Morocco. Finding success with his confessional first novel, Junkie (1953), Burroughs is perhaps best known for his third novel Naked Lunch (1959), a controversy-fraught work that underwent a court case under the U.S. sodomy laws. With Brion Gysin, he also popularized the literary cut-up technique in works such as The Nova Trilogy (1961–64). In 1983, Burroughs was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1984 was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France. Jack Kerouac called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift", a reputation he owes to his "lifelong subversion" of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism. J. G. Ballard considered Burroughs to be "the most important writer to emerge since the Second World War", while Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius".
Burroughs had one child, William Seward Burroughs III (1947-1981), with his second wife Joan Vollmer. Vollmer died in 1951 in Mexico City. Burroughs was convicted of manslaughter in Vollmer's death, an event that deeply permeated all of his writings. Burroughs died at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, after suffering a heart attack in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2008
Yes, I had weird dreams when I read the cut-ups of Burroughs and Gysin and it changed my perspective on magick and art. But the interviews always fascinated me the most. I never read an interview with WSB that wasn't incredibly informative. This gigantic book of interviews is a treasure trove that offers a deep glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most notorious and innovative writers of the late 20th century. Exhaustive and wonderful!
June 12, 2020
As advertised, this is a collection of interviews. And at almost 850 pages, it is a mighty one indeed. Because of the nature of chronological interviews, there is sometimes a little too much repetition. There are a few confusing typos, and one hilarious one where David Bowie is referred to as "the Thin White Duck." A good reference book for fans, but others might not see what the fuss is all about.
November 25, 2022
burroughs could be an excellent conversationalist
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August 24, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Naked Lunch, we present this 1966 interview with William S. Burroughs, which originally appeared in Jaguar Magazine. It was excerpted here from Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs (Semiotext(e), 2001).
STOP SMILING will co-host a celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Naked Lunch this Friday, Aug. 28. Click here for details.
PROPHET OR PORNOGRAPHER
New York, 1966
Jaguar Magazine: You have been accused of being generally against the establishment, and many of your critics read “messages” into much of what the average reader may think of as simply extremely sexy. I refer specifically to the fairly violent scene which might easily be re-read as a kind of social protest — perhaps against capital punishment.
William Burroughs: It’s a tract against capital punishment in the genre of Swift’s Modest Proposal. I was simply following a formula to its logical conclusion. Some people appear to have understood it. The publication of Naked Lunch in England practically coincided with their abolition of capital punishment. The book obviously had a certain effect.
Read the interview...
November 12, 2009
Sure Burroughs is wack on gender and perhaps a bit too enamored of weaponry, but what a great conversationalist and time traveler. Credible wise thoughts on drugs, drug use, addiction and how to deal with addiction as well.
August 26, 2012
There ought to be a updated version of this book. It's interesting to read his conversations with people like Tennessee Williams, with whom he compares word views, and Debbie Harry who told him she once lived in a haunted house.
November 8, 2007
This is all you need after you get taken in by the man. It has an index and is divided into time periods. I particularly like his ideas about aliens and about how to enter a painting.
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April 22, 2019„Barouz – Razgovori“ je zbirka intervjua koje je sjajni i kultni pisac Vilijam Barouz dao za života. Flavio Rigonat je za srpsko izdanje odabrao i priredio samo deo originalne knjige u kojoj se nalazi kolekcija intervjua. U knjizi se ne nalaze samo intervjui koje je Barouz dao, već i razgovori koje je vodio sa nekim ikonama tog doba kao što je Dejvid Bouvi, Peti Smit i Tenesi Vilijams. A tu je i zanimljiv zapisnik sa panel diskusije o drogama na kojoj je Barouz uzeo učešća, dok knjiga započinje Ginzbergovim intervjuom.
Ono što sam naučio iz ove knjige jeste da je Barouz, koga bih na prvu loptu opisao kao onog ludaka koji je upucao sopstvenu suprugu i koji je pisao one blesave i šašave romane iza granice ludila, veoma inteligentna, racionalna, promišljena osoba koja sa obe noge čvrsto stoji na zemlji. I sam je radio u marketinškoj agenciji, a ujka mu je radio kao PR za Rokfelera, tako da je on veoma dobro znao kako da sam sebi napravi imidž nadrogiranog ludaka koji piše ludačke knjige. Inače je bio sasvim običan beli klinac iz više srednje klase kome je bilo omogućeno da stekne vrhunsko obrazovanje i vodi jedan lep i opušten život. Što je on obilato i radio. Sve ostalo je reklama i lični PR.
„Barouz – Razgovori“ je zanimljiva knjiga koja nije namenjena samo ljubiteljima Barouzovog dela. Knjiga je više svedočanstvo jednog vremena, a manje posveta konkretnom piscu. Zanimljivo štivo.
Ono što sam naučio iz ove knjige jeste da je Barouz, koga bih na prvu loptu opisao kao onog ludaka koji je upucao sopstvenu suprugu i koji je pisao one blesave i šašave romane iza granice ludila, veoma inteligentna, racionalna, promišljena osoba koja sa obe noge čvrsto stoji na zemlji. I sam je radio u marketinškoj agenciji, a ujka mu je radio kao PR za Rokfelera, tako da je on veoma dobro znao kako da sam sebi napravi imidž nadrogiranog ludaka koji piše ludačke knjige. Inače je bio sasvim običan beli klinac iz više srednje klase kome je bilo omogućeno da stekne vrhunsko obrazovanje i vodi jedan lep i opušten život. Što je on obilato i radio. Sve ostalo je reklama i lični PR.
„Barouz – Razgovori“ je zanimljiva knjiga koja nije namenjena samo ljubiteljima Barouzovog dela. Knjiga je više svedočanstvo jednog vremena, a manje posveta konkretnom piscu. Zanimljivo štivo.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews