Author Showcase: William S. Burroughs

Given that last week was very heavily Victorian I thought that this week we might focus on something (or someone) a bit more modern. William S. Burroughs is one of my favourite authors; I own six of his books that I all bought within about a month of each other (I remember because I got them from a bookstore that was closing down and was in a panic to buy everything that I possibly could). I don't know what it is exactly about Burroughs' writing that I like so much; it is rather 'unremarkable' in that he doesn't have a particularly distinctive style or cadence to his writing that other authors do but at the same time his voice comes through in all his works. Below are pictures and some thoughts on the books of his that I own and read.

And the Hippos Were Boiled in their Tanks (with Jack Kerouac)

I can't remember if this is the first book of Burroughs' that I read but it remains my favourite. I really like how you can read the difference between Kerouac's and Burroughs' styles and I think that both authors use their voices really effectively. The story is told from two different perspectives with Burroughs' writing one and Kerouac writing the other. The narrative details the real-life murder of one of their acquaintances by one of their friends. It is the same story that is covered in the (brilliant) film Kill Your Darlings.

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The Job: Interviews with William S. Burroughs

In which Burroughs talks about everything you can think of. At times this can be difficult to follow and you do sometimes have to concentrate to read it but it is well worth the journey into Burroughs' mind.

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My Education

This is similar to The Job but it's an extended essay on dreams rather than in interview format. The topics in My Education cover more about what it is to be an artist in general and a writer in particular.

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Junky

Burroughs' most well-known piece. It is a fictional (though largely autobiographical) account of drug dependency. This is an incredibly honest and sometimes brutal portrayal of drug addiction and how hard it is to break the cycle of cures and relapses. It can be quite a hard read and definitely isn't for everyone but is an incredibly important and valuable book.

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Nova Express

This book is the third part in a trilogy that Burroughs' did. I have unfortunately only read this one but I am planning on reading the others sometime in the near future. Nova Express is a science-fiction/dystopia novel which plays on themes of violence and media. If you like Anthony Burges' A Clockwork Orange, or if you're a fan of dystopian literature in general then I would thoroughly recommend this.

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The Yage Letters (with Allen Ginsberg)

If you're a fan of Ginsberg or Burroughs' but are looking for something that takes less commitment and time to read than the above books then this may be just what you're looking for. You can read this book in parts because it doesn't really have a central thrust or strong narrative drive. This book is a series of letters that Burroughs writes to Ginsberg when he is traveling through South America while experimenting with a drug called yage. Years after he does this Ginsberg mimics his journey which comprises the second part of the book. That description is pretty much exactly what is written on the back of the book because I couldn't for the life of me remember what was in the letters - though I remember enjoying reading it when I did. It might be time for a re-read.

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Have you read any Burroughs? Which book is your favourite? Could you recommend some others? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Lots of love,
xo
*This post was not sponsored and all opinions are my own. All books being from the same publication (Penguin Modern Classics) is simply because that was available to me when I was buying. No images above are my own, sources are linked in the text.