William S. Burroughs






William S. Burroughs

author profile


born
February 05, 1914

died
August 02, 1997

gender
male

place of birth
St. Louis, Missouri, The United States

website

genre
Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Humor

influences
Céline, Rimbaud, Black, Genet, Sartre, Beckett, Miller, Korzybski, Spengler, Gysin


about this author

American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer.

Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, drawn from his experiences as an opiate addict, a condition that marked the last fifty years of his life.

A primary member of the Beat Generation, he was an avant-garde author who affected popular culture as well as literature. In 1984, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters."




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avg rating: 3.64 | 20,945 ratings | 1,490 reviews | 108 distinct works | 136 fans
Naked Lunch: The Restored Text Naked Lunch: The Restored Text
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.47 — 6,188 ratings — published 1959
39 editions
my rating:
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Junky: The Definitive Text of... Junky: The Definitive Text of Junk (50th Anniversary Edition)
by William S. Burroughs, Oliver Harris
avg rating 3.85 — 3,412 ratings — published 1953
26 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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Queer Queer (Picador Books)
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.64 — 1,194 ratings — published 1985
8 editions
my rating:
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The Soft Machine The Soft Machine
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.46 — 760 ratings — published 1961
12 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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Cities of the Red Night: A Nov... Cities of the Red Night: A Novel
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.75 — 671 ratings — published 1981
12 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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The Wild Boys: A Book of the D... The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.57 — 551 ratings — published 1971
11 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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Nova Express Nova Express
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.55 — 514 ratings — published 1964
7 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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Exterminator! Exterminator!
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 3.77 — 464 ratings — published 1973
5 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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The Yage Letters The Yage Letters
by William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg
avg rating 3.72 — 453 ratings — published 1963
6 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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The Western Lands The Western Lands
by William S. Burroughs
avg rating 4.04 — 356 ratings — published 1987
6 editions
my rating:
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
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"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. "
William S. Burroughs
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"Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death."
William S. Burroughs
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"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. A psychotic is a guy who's just found out what's going on."
William S. Burroughs
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topics mentioning this author

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