The Soft Machine
by William S. Burroughs
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 481)
Read in June, 2008
The evil wordsmith that makes Burroughs what he is, it's like escaping into a shell of extroverted lunacy. Burroughs has always clawed at me (especially since he's one of my most favoured and influential authors) but for some reason I always seem to skim past his books whenever I find myself at a bookstore, fearful of what might lay waiting inside - but why? It's like Underworld or Squarepusher of the music world, for I love it, but have a certain anxiety that what I purchase next could horrib...more
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Read in September, 1973
This was the 1st William S. Burroughs novel I read. The obssessive reiterations of hanging boys ejaculating was disturbing & sickening to me but the overall shockingness of the bk had a profound effect on me. I got the novel b/c its title was the same name as one of my favorite music groups. I hadn't realized that they'd taken their name from this bk. I'd never read anything even remotely like this. Just its formal power was a great jump-start for my nascent experimental writing. Accor...more
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The one book by Burroughs that separates the fans from the curious. The curious usually think 'no, I am not going there.' Relentless sexual assault mixed with very experimental writing makes this book... Charming! I love Burroughs' voice. I also think he's one of the great satire writers of all time. A true American (drug addict) original!
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6 comments
Burroughs is a strange cat, and his style of composing his novels is interesting as it makes some wonderful imagery.
Unforunately the Soft machine has too much explict homoerotic actions described in all their graphic-ness.
That and when you piece the thing together it isn't very interesting....turns out for most Burroughs the parts are actually much better than the sum.
-40
Unforunately the Soft machine has too much explict homoerotic actions described in all their graphic-ness.
That and when you piece the thing together it isn't very interesting....turns out for most Burroughs the parts are actually much better than the sum.
-40
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Burroughs fans
Part of WSB's "trilogy" of cut-up novels, constructed from his notes for Naked Lunch. By its end, definitely shows the limitations (and they abundant) of the cut-up method. Burroughs was much more sparing in his usage of non-linear and non-objective theoreticals in his later works, all to the benefit of the reader.
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Read in February, 2003
My bell curve of Burroughs ends here. I'm always tempted to go read his later novels, but this just become so unintelligible that was just reading words and turning pages. I got literally nothing out of it, with the one very notable exception of the phrase, "anal mucous," which was used many-a-time. oh dear.
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Read in January, 1977
recommends it for:
everyone
Another experience of the Burroughs cut-up period, The Soft Machine is a sort of homoerotic travelogue, minus descriptions of the places, other than various, um, interiors. Still, I found this book to be an easy read, and many of the random word couplings outclassed the other kind.
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Read in January, 1993
For some reason, I remember this book being harder to read than Naked Lunch - which I never understood until I watched the movie on acid - so I actually could still not really know what it's about.
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Read in April, 2008
Once you give up trying to fight the book and beat your head trying to decipher the non-linear portions, the book simply flows as a supreme aesthetic experience.
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Pretty fucked up. Burroughs chop-up method can be confusing, so it took me a few reads. But seriously, want to try some crazy drugs and see crab people with me?
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2006
I just can not get into Burroughs. I interesting man, but his style of writing is something that I can not read well, maybe over time that will change.
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Read in January, 1995
This was the only W. Burroughs book I've read, so I may be missing something, graphic, cocks, asses, hallucinations, surreal, yeah
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Yucky. I can hear his rasp hoarse voice in my ear like he's reading the story over my shoulder. Yuck Bill. Yuck.
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This book forever burned the words "rectal mucus" into my psyche. Carbolic acid and rectal mucus. Thanks BB!
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Read in January, 1998
Wow, amazing and very sexual. Must read again to relive a part of innocence in my life.
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Don't get me wrong, I love William Burruoghs, but I just can't connect with his style.
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Read in January, 1999
This book was a lot easier to read the second time... after I'd read Junky.
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Read in August, 2007
i just don't have the patience for this book, so i didn't get very far.
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
burroughs fans
Entertaining and amusing--part of a larger work.
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
no one
I'm close minded. And keeping it that way.
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