By any estimation the dominant theme of the novel is junk. Burroughs did, in fact, start using heroin in 1944 and within a year, he was an addict. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict junky a novel by william lee william s. Burroughs junky is edited with an introduction by oliver harris in penguin modern classics. Junky and william burroughs oblique moral vision books. Burroughs, published initially under the pseudonym william lee. Louis, missouri, grandson and namesake of the inventor of the burroughs adding machine. About fine, with a hint of rubbing to the extremities, faint toning to the otherwise fresh pages.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. This novel tells stories of lurid adventures and serious drug abuseall from the junkies point of view. In work and in life burroughs expressed a lifelong subversion of the morality, politics and economics of modern america. Junky by william burroughs and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Junkie by william burroughs, first edition abebooks. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 208 pages and is available in paperback format. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and. 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. 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. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are william s. Burroughs junkie november 10, 2012 june 16, 2015 freshlyworded junkie by influential beat generation writer william s. A shocking expose of the desperate subculture surrounding heroin addiction, william s. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict the dharma bums jack kerouac. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.
Junky part 1 of 11 by wlliam s bourroughs 1953 youtube. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on junky by william s. In 1953, at the height of american conformism and anticommunist hysteria, william s. Our ebook library is loaded with many marketing, romance, medical, and other free ebooks in pdf format. 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 published junky, an irresistible strungout ode to the joys and perversities of drug addiction.
February 5, 1914 august 2, 1997 was an american writer and visual artist. It provides a thorough exploration of the novels plot, characters and main themes, including addiction, crime and sexuality. 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. Junk is not, like alcohol or a weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Narcotic agent, the undercover policemans memoir, originally published back. Burroughs 1999 last words 2000 and the hippos were boiled in their tanks 2008 junky the definitive text of junk william s. The story follows a man at odds with american mainstream culture into a quest for spiritual meaning via heroin. Burroughs edited and with an introduction by oliver harris grove press. If public schools really wanted kids to abstain from injecting needles in their arms they should drop d. 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. Burroughs reads from the place of dead roads and the cat inside. Get junky william s burroughs pdf file for free from our online library pdf file. Burroughs chronology february 5, 1914 born william seward burroughs, in st. Burroughs both ghastlier and more impressive than many previously thought. Bound dos dos with maurice helbrants narcotic agent. 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 the second book ive read as part of a miniproject of mine to examine the place of. To escape those conditions, and in particular his treatment as a homosexual and a druguser, burroughs left his homeland in 1950, and soon after began writing. Burroughs broke into the literary scene with junky sometimes also called junkie, a candid, semiautobiographical account of an unredeemed drug addict. 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. The first edition of the novel was published in april 15th 1953, and was written by william s.
You will be glad to know that right now junky william s burroughs pdf is available on our online library. Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. The definitive text of junk 50th anniversary edition by william s. The tentative parallelism of the novels action to burroughs life is reinforced by shifts in style and content, depicting a descent and reemergence which mirrors his cycle of addiction and withdrawal. William leenicknamed billis a thirtyyearold white male living in new york city who begins using morphine and develops an addiction to narcoticsor junk. The burroughslike protagonist of the novel, bill lee, seesaws between. 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. 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. Publishers pictorial paper wrappers, lettered in white and yellow. Burroughs virtual junky diary is a trip through the authors own selfinflicted and selfinjected personal hell. Confessions of an unredeemed drug addict and authored pseudonymously by william lee burroughs mothers maiden.
Reality televisions got nothing on william burroughs. Junkie by william lee book cover, description, publication history. Burroughs was born on february 5, 1914 in st louis. Before his 1959 breakthrough, naked lunch, an unknown william s.
If youre a fan of william burroughs work, a complete reading of junkie, by william burroughs himself, has recently appeared online, for free. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Burroughs wrote this book much based on his own experience with addiction decades ago, and i think itll forever be potent. Comparing these notes with the biographical information we now have, not just of burroughs but also of the other writers of the beat generation, it is clear that the biographical sketch in the addict is incomplete and probably. 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.
Originally published as junkie under the pen name of william lee. Six years before he published his breakthrough novel, naked lunch 1959, william s. If burroughs stripped lee of his own literary knowledge and ambition, and gave priority to the anonymous confessions of an american thief rather than to romantic poets or european. It was his first published novel and has come to be considered a seminal text on the lifestyle of. Burroughs speaks graphically about the junkies hunger for the hypo as well as.
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