His first published work, it is semiautobiographical and focuses on burroughs life as a drug user and dealer. Burroughs did, in fact, start using heroin in 1944 and within a year, he was an addict. 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 passed away at the ripe old age of 83 back in august 1997, the media coverage was definitely more in keeping with his status as a countercultural icon than it was for his literary fame or infamy alone. Burroughs reads his first novel, junky open culture. If public schools really wanted kids to abstain from injecting needles in their arms they should drop d. Burroughs reads from the place of dead roads and the cat inside.
Emi music publishing, and 1 music rights societies. Nov 23, 2012 junky, a semiautobiographical novel by william s. A second edition, published in 1971 in cambridge, england, contained additional. 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. The definitive text of junk 50th anniversary edition. Junky and william burroughs oblique moral vision books. Burroughs, laughingly, thats a metaphysical question. Burroughs is the second book ive read as part of a miniproject of mine to examine the place of. 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. Ebook william s burroughs 6 as pdf download portable. Burroughss first novel describes the relentless travels of william lee through the dizzying, drugaddled neighborhoods of 1940s new york, new orleans, and mexico city.
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. Burroughs 19141997 american novelist, essayist, critic, poet, and scriptwriter. And i would say that the experience i had, thats described in junkie. Louis, missouri on february 5, 1914, to laura lee and mortimer burroughs, grandson and namesake of william s. William burroughs the original junkie books the guardian. Junky, first published in 1952, is one of the first examples of contemporary drug literature. Burroughs passed away at the ripe old age of 83 back in august 1997, the media coverage was definitely more in keeping with his status as a countercultural icon than it. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Junk is not, like alcohol or a weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Kerouacs and ginsbergs editorial assistance were crucial in extracting the novel from the undifferentiated mass of typescript and manuscript material that burroughs called the word hoard. 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. Burroughs by matthew levi stevens when the american writer william s. Reads today as fresh and unvarnished as it ever has. Price new from used from hardcover, import please retry.
This novel tells stories of lurid adventures and serious drug abuseall from the junkies point of view. Burroughs, published initially under the pseudonym william lee. Seeding is the sex of the plant and the function of opium is to delay seeding. The definitive text of junk kindle edition by burroughs.
All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. The first edition of the novel was published in april 15th 1953, and was written by william s. Any basic experience is like that, like being in prison for a long time. Illinois fire protection district files opioid lawsuit. The definitive text of junk 50th anniversary edition by william s. 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. Reality televisions got nothing on william burroughs. 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. After many rejections, burroughs kind of gave up on the idea of seeing this book in print. Packed with period photos of burroughs and fellow beat writers, all presented in an appealing, collage. Before his 1959 breakthrough, naked lunch, an unknown william s.
Burroughs chose to use the pseudonym william lee, lee being his mothers maiden name. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict originally titled junk, later released as junky is a novel by american beat generation writer. Junkie by william burroughs, first edition abebooks. 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. Burroughs is known as a prominent member of the beat generation, a prolific and peculiar writer, a dope addict, an inspiration to punk bands and performance artists, and a staunch. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict is a novel by american beat generation. Call me burroughs ends with the old boy, having survived an. In 1977 the expurgations of the earlier edition were undone, and the title changed from junkie to junky. For a fascinating article on burroughs and the history of heroin, check out the reality studio. Burroughs that was first published in 1970 by expanded media editions in west germany. Burroughs published junky, an irresistible strungout ode to the joys and perversities of drug addiction. Burroughs is the second book ive read as part of a miniproject of mine to examine the place of the heroin junky in literature. Burroughs, is a seductive story set at the inception of the hip subculture in america.
The word was god and the word was flesh we are told. The definitive text of junk penguin modern classics by burroughs, william s. The citizens rushed from one bureau to another in a. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are william s. Junkie mass market paperback january 1, 1953 by william burroughs author 4. Mar 04, 2008 the best of william burroughs from giorno poetry systems licensed to youtube by merlin virtual label llc on behalf of giorno poetry systems. Burroughs, usa 19141997 the electronic revolution 1970, expanded media editions pdf, 832kb the electronic revolution is an essay collection by william s. In his debut novel, junky, burroughs fictionalized his experiences using and. February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer.
If youre a fan of william burroughs work, a complete reading of junkie, by william burroughs himself, has recently appeared online, for free. Burroughs, published initially under the pseudonym william lee in 1953. 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. Queer is an early short novel written between 1951 and 1953, published in 1985 by william s. 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 the manuscript. Burroughs wrote junk, his first book, a candid, eyewitness account of times and places. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict originally titled junk, later released as junky is a novel by american beat generation writer william s. Burroughs papers, 19511972 bulk 19581972 techniques burroughs admired and incorporated into the novel naked lunch. The whole experience of addiction and withdrawal does change people in some ways. A writer can profit from things that maybe just unpleasant or boring to someone else, because he uses those subsequently for material in writing. Plants do not feel pain since pain has no function in a stationary organism.
Aug 07, 2012 if youre a fan of william burroughs work, a complete reading of junkie, by william burroughs himself, has recently appeared online, for free. For further information on burroughss life and career, see clc, volumes 1, 2, 5, 15, 22, 42, and 75. By any estimation the dominant theme of the novel is junk. The definitive text of junk penguin modern classics. Burroughs wrote this book much based on his own experience with addiction decades ago, and i think itll forever be potent. Documents issued in vanishing ink faded into old pawn tickets. Narcotic agent, the undercover policemans memoir, originally published back. Burroughs, the inventor of the first marketable adding machine. See all 12 formats and editions hide other formats and. See all 12 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Burroughs may have been clean at the time, but he returned to using methadone in later life, which makes parts of this interview rather poignant. It was his first published novel and has come to be considered a seminal text on the lifestyle of. Fine in illustrated boards with matching endpapers.
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 covering a period of more than 20 years though largely focussing on the sevenyear period 196269 during which burroughs principal literary output appeared in obscure little magazines. Burroughs knew from a young age both that he was homosexual and that he. The story follows a man at odds with american mainstream culture into a quest for spiritual meaning via heroin. Burroughs junkie november 10, 2012 june 16, 2015 freshlyworded junkie by influential beat generation writer william s. Of it cannot be said that burroughs is always william. Burroughs originally published in 1970 by expanded media editions ubuclassics 4 feedback from watergate to the garden of eden in the beginning was the word and the word was god and has remained one of the mysteries ever since. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by. You will be glad to know that right now junky william s burroughs pdf is available on our online library. The burroughs file is a collection of short fiction and nonfiction writings by beat generation author william s. Six years before he published his breakthrough novel, naked lunch 1959, william s. Burroughs junky is edited with an introduction by oliver harris in penguin modern classics. In 1953, at the height of american conformism and anticommunist hysteria, william s. The 2003 definitive edition recreated the original text and included previously lost passages and a new chapter, together with additional material.
Get junky william s burroughs pdf file for free from our online library pdf file. Penguin audiobooks 0141801824,penguin audiobooks isbn 0141801824 format. Junky is an unabashedly honest account of the ghostly and extraordinary world of the heroin addict. It is partially a sequel to his earlier novel, junkie, which ends with the stated ambition of finding a drug called yage. Junkie alternately titled junky is a 1953 semiautobiographical novel by william s. Originally published as junkie under the pen name of william lee. Queer, although not devoted to that quest, does include a trip to south america looking for the substance. Burroughs virtual junky diary is a trip through the authors own selfinflicted and selfinjected personal hell. The definitive text of junk kindle edition by burroughs, william s. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 208 pages and is available in paperback format. William leenicknamed billis a thirtyyearold white male living in new york city who begins using morphine and. Burroughs both ghastlier and more impressive than many previously thought. Some new material, and an introduction by allen ginsberg were added. Burroughs broke into the literary scene with junky sometimes also called junkie, a candid, semiautobiographical account of an unredeemed drug addict.