Literary outlaw : the life and times of William S. Burroughs

Overview: With a new preface as well as a final chapter on William S. Burroughs’s last years, the acclaimed Literary Outlaw is the only existing full biography of an extraordinary figure. Anarchist, heroin addict, alcoholic, and brilliant writer, Burroughs was the patron saint of the Beats. His avant-garde masterpiece Naked Lunch shook up the literary world with its graphic descriptions of drug abuse and illicit sex—and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. Burroughs continued to revolutionize literature with novels like The Soft Machine and to shock with the events in his life, such as the accidental shooting of his wife, which haunted him until his death. Ted Morgan captures the man, his work, and his friends—Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles among them—in this riveting story of an iconoclast. “Almost indecently readable . . . captures [Burroughs’s] destructive energy, his ferocious pessimism, and the renegade brilliance of his style.”—Vogue With a new preface as well as a final chapter on William S. Burroughs’s last years, the acclaimed Literary Outlaw is the only existing full biography of an extraordinary figure. Anarchist, heroin addict, alcoholic, and brilliant writer, Burroughs was the patron saint of the Beats. His avant-garde masterpiece Naked Lunch shook up the literary world with its graphic descriptions of drug abuse and illicit sex—and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. Burroughs continued to revolutionize literature with novels like The Soft Machine and to shock with the events in his life, such as the accidental shooting of his wife, which haunted him until his death. Ted Morgan captures the man, his work, and his friends—Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles among them—in this riveting story of an iconoclast. "Almost indecently readable . . . captures [Burroughs's] destructive energy, his ferocious pessimism, and the renegade brilliance of his style."— Vogue With a new preface as well as a final chapter on William S. Burroughs's last years, the acclaimed Literary Outlaw is the only existing full biography of an extraordinary figure. Anarchist, heroin addict, alcoholic, and brilliant writer, Burroughs was the patron saint of the Beats. His avant-garde masterpiece Naked Lunch shook up the literary world with its graphic descriptions of drug abuse and illicit sex—and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. Burroughs continued to revolutionize literature with novels like The Soft Machine and to shock with the events in his life, such as the accidental shooting of his wife, which haunted him until his death. Ted Morgan captures the man, his work, and his friends—Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles among them—in this riveting... NOTE ON METHODPREFACE Prologue The Induction: 1983 1 St. Louis: 1914–1931 2 Los Alamos: 1929–1932 3 Cambridge: 1932–1938 4 New York: 1939–1941 5 Chicago and New York: 1942–1944 6 “And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks”: 1944 7 Junk: 1945–1946 8 Texas: 1947–1948 9 Louisiana: 1948–1949 10 Mexico: 1949–1952 11 Colombia: 1953 12 Tangier: 1954–1958 13 Paris: 1958–1960 14 Naked Lunch: 1959–1966 15 Burroughs Meets Leary: 1960–1961 16 Burroughs at Large: 1962–1965 17 The London Years: 1966–1973 18 New York: 1974–1976 19 Billy: 1974–1981&n St. Louis : 1914-1931 -- Los Alamos : 1929-1932 -- Cambridge : 1932-1938 -- New York : 1939-1941 -- Chicago and New York : 1942-1944 -- "And the hippos were boiled in their tanks" : 1944 -- Junk : 1945-1946 -- Texas : 1947-1948 -- Louisiana : 1948-1949 -- Mexico : 1949-1952 -- Colombia : 1953 -- Tangier : 1954-1958 -- Paris : 1958-1960 -- Naked lunch : 1959-1966 -- Burroughs meets Leary : 1960-1961 -- Burroughs at large : 1962-1965 -- The London years : 1966-1973 -- New York : 1974-1976 -- Billy : 1974-1981 -- The bunker : 1976-1981 -- Lawrence : 1981-1988 -- The final years : 1988-1997.