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64th out of 620 books
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269 voters
The Cat Inside
Best known for the wild, phantasmagoric satire of works like Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs reveals another, gentler side in The Cat Inside. Originally published as a limited-edition volume, this moving and witty discourse on cats combines deadpan routines and dream passages with a heartwarming account of Burroughs's unexpected friendships with the many cats he has know...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
January 29th 2002
by Penguin Books
(first published 1986)
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When I was a young boy, I was absolutely vile to our family cat. I didn't cut it up or torture it or anything, but let's just say that, looking back, I'm amazed to have retained any memories at all of the poor thing purring in my lap...
Don't get me wrong - I still terrorize my current cat. Only now the terror is tempered with a tender, loving benevolence, a genuine desire to nurture and protect, as opposed to the thoughtless cruelty that comes so naturally to children. I might joke around about...more
Don't get me wrong - I still terrorize my current cat. Only now the terror is tempered with a tender, loving benevolence, a genuine desire to nurture and protect, as opposed to the thoughtless cruelty that comes so naturally to children. I might joke around about...more
A collection of anecdotes and observations about his various cats. It was quite interesting to see such a soft and tender loving side to William Burroughs. One can't help but feel more warm & fuzzy towards the man as a result. I am very tickled by the idea of ol' Burroughs puttering around his house in Lawrence fussing over his various felines.... its Sweet!
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Hermoso libro que sirve para conocer a un hombre a través de los gatos. La delicadeza, el sentido del deber, el enorme cariño y la angustia que llega con cada paso del tiempo. Para aquellos que nos preocupamos por los animales, pero especialmente por los gatos, este libro deja una sensación de alegría y tristeza muy profunda. Perdí a mi gato, perdí a mi gato. En qué lugar me llamó y yo no pude estar para él? Como todos los gatos del mundo que nos han regalado su confianza desde hace millones de...more
I once owned the Italian edition of this book, then gave it as a present to a friend of mine. Borrowed this copy from the department of anglo-american studies.
Burroughs was a lifelong lover of cats, and I guess it was only natural that this fact should produce one such output.
The book is a collection (collation, I would say) of short pieces, although at times the events go on from page to page like singled paragraphs of a longer narrative. Some of the pieces have a date & seem to have been...more
Burroughs was a lifelong lover of cats, and I guess it was only natural that this fact should produce one such output.
The book is a collection (collation, I would say) of short pieces, although at times the events go on from page to page like singled paragraphs of a longer narrative. Some of the pieces have a date & seem to have been...more
For once the Time magazine blurb on the front cover actually made sense to me: "Heartwarming anecdotes...Burroughs ventures galaxies away from his typically twisted literary turf".
The Cat Inside is such an unusual book but when it comes to WSB Sr. expect nothing but surprises with each book you pick up.
As Burroughs himself describes it on page 70, "this cat book is an allegory, in which the writer's past life is presented to him in a cat charade".
The faces and looks on the various cats that he...more
The Cat Inside is such an unusual book but when it comes to WSB Sr. expect nothing but surprises with each book you pick up.
As Burroughs himself describes it on page 70, "this cat book is an allegory, in which the writer's past life is presented to him in a cat charade".
The faces and looks on the various cats that he...more
Очень неоднородный сборник короткой прозы. Повесть "Здесь Ах Пуч" - типичный берроузовский наркоманско-гомосексуальный поток сознания, который у меня сложно усваивается - прочла по диагонали, не желая вникать. "Кот внутри", названный рецензентом "кошачьей шарадой" - маленькие заметки о кошках в жизни автора и вообще, очень понравились. "Кошка не предлагает услуги. Она предлагает себя. Конечно, она хочет заботы и крыши над головой. Любовь не получишь даром. Как все животные, кошки практичны". И е...more
May 29, 2011
shanties
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
anglo-america,
20th-century,
aphorisms,
autobiographies,
beat,
homosex,
library,
short-stories
I once owned the Italian edition of this book, then gave it as a present to a friend of mine. Borrowed this copy from the department of anglo-american studies.
Burroughs was a lifelong lover of cats, and I guess it was only natural that this fact should produce one such output.
The book is a collection (collation, I would say) of short pieces, although at times the events go on from page to page like singled paragraphs of a longer narrative. Some of the pieces have a date & seem to have been w...more
Burroughs was a lifelong lover of cats, and I guess it was only natural that this fact should produce one such output.
The book is a collection (collation, I would say) of short pieces, although at times the events go on from page to page like singled paragraphs of a longer narrative. Some of the pieces have a date & seem to have been w...more
I was downtown today and decided to stop in the bookshop with a good English section and comfy chairs. I looked for the shortest book I could find, determined to sit down and read. I found this, 93 pages, none of them full, and read it in an hour or so. It was serendipity, being not too heavy but also not too banal, a very managable lozenge of a book.
In it Burroughs muses affectionately on his cats, and on cats in general as companions, 'familiars,' and life's company. He is a confirmed Cat Per...more
In it Burroughs muses affectionately on his cats, and on cats in general as companions, 'familiars,' and life's company. He is a confirmed Cat Per...more
When I began reading this book, it seemed to be about a man who suffers from disturbing dreams, and who is discovering what it is like to become friends with a cat. But as the disjointed entries continued, and successive cats were introduced, it became clear that Burroughs was really learning about himself. His cat within, if you will.
As the book progressed, the descriptions of cat experiences became so impassioned that one might have thought that he was speaking of his own children. That is pa...more
As the book progressed, the descriptions of cat experiences became so impassioned that one might have thought that he was speaking of his own children. That is pa...more
I read this in one sitting, very drunk last night. I'd just been at my friends house and at some point his 3 year old son and I coincidentally played with their two cats, well they ran away from us and he chased them and I chased him and the cats with a toy lawnmower. My friend and I then talked about how much more we like cats over dogs and watched the cats close their eyes like they were stoned/in ecstasy.
This little novella could have been much, much better. Sometimes I think popular authors...more
This little novella could have been much, much better. Sometimes I think popular authors...more
This book is nothing like anything I've previously read by Burroughs. Though there are parts that definitely show his sense of humor and style of writing. Basically its a celebration of cats and only something I can see as being enjoyed by someone who also loves cats. Although I haven't had a cat in many years this book really spoke to me and I enjoyed it and read it on a long lonely bus ride and it made my day happier.
As every book is about cats and people, this book has its beautiful moments and a great share of bittersweet moments.
It's very short. There are many anecdotes, not always in chronological order (but many dated, and chronology is not really necessary), and it's very personal. Although Burroughs was a renowned cat-lover, it seems that it was not always the case, and it's interesting to see from a short perspective how he came to be so.
This is not just a book about cats. Burroughs writes:
It's very short. There are many anecdotes, not always in chronological order (but many dated, and chronology is not really necessary), and it's very personal. Although Burroughs was a renowned cat-lover, it seems that it was not always the case, and it's interesting to see from a short perspective how he came to be so.
This is not just a book about cats. Burroughs writes:
This cat b...more
I never thought I'd use the word 'charming' in relationship to Burroughs, but this is a charming book! Quotidian descriptions of his cats' habits, exchanges with other cat-owners ('they sure are company'), and comparisons with dogs (cats win) live alongside classic Burroughs takes on the spirit world, the overwhelming nausea elicited by the vast majority of hateful human beings inhabiting America, and so on. Really great moments of self-reflexivity, as in one section where Burroughs, looking bac...more
I never cottoned to Burroughs, but I noticed this little number on the shelf at the library (say hello to the new "library happenstance" shelf!) and thought, why not? I am, after all, a crazy cat lady, and so, apparently, was Burroughs.
I'm glad I picked up this slim volume. The vignettes were at turns sweet, sad, poignant, disturbing, surreal, haunting, and bleach-drinky. I couldn't get behind the dog hate, though (despite the author's protestations to the contrary, he is a dog-hater). Neverthe...more
I'm glad I picked up this slim volume. The vignettes were at turns sweet, sad, poignant, disturbing, surreal, haunting, and bleach-drinky. I couldn't get behind the dog hate, though (despite the author's protestations to the contrary, he is a dog-hater). Neverthe...more
What a lovely little book. A synthesis of a cat lover's sentimentality, with some sparkling of Zen and Old Bull Lee's wild deep prophetic rants. For me, Burroughs is this Shamanic figure, with a strangeness about his writing which creates a very primal connection, as if one is caught in a telepathic ayahusca ritual with him. This book, however, was a surprise introduction to his caring and soft side. Intended as a collection of anecdotes and musings about his various cats, it is also a semi-auto...more
A book of dreams and other small events, most of which have to do with cats. Here, our reporter comments on himself as a “guardian” of cats, with emphasis on his contact and interactions with three subjects in particular, Ruski, Calico Jane and Fletch. In these notes, he describes the characters of the members of this clowder, their relations with one another, and their relations with him. In addition to acting as their food giver, protector and scratch toy, Burroughs is also a student of cats,...more
Don't expect a cute cat book if you read this. It is a small book by William S. Burroughs who brought us "Naked Lunch", "The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead", "Cities of the Red Night", and let's not forget his "Blade Runner (A Movie)"-- not to be confused with the story by Philip K. Dick.
"The Cat Inside" is an expression of the love that the elderly William S. Burroughs had for his cats. It is sweet old man talk about his beloved pets.
A colleague of mine said that it took William S. Burroughs pra...more
"The Cat Inside" is an expression of the love that the elderly William S. Burroughs had for his cats. It is sweet old man talk about his beloved pets.
A colleague of mine said that it took William S. Burroughs pra...more
burroughs and elliot are both highly esteemed authors who, both late in life, published books consisting entirely of paeans to their feliine housepets.
from a publishing point of view, this can only be understood in terms of the ability of the names of highly esteemed authors to generate sales.
from an observational point of view, this can be understood as an indication of the probable senility of the authors in question.
from a publishing point of view, this can only be understood in terms of the ability of the names of highly esteemed authors to generate sales.
from an observational point of view, this can be understood as an indication of the probable senility of the authors in question.
A slight, spare, lean volume. Having just been on a bit of a Burroughs bender, reading Word Virus (which has excerpts from The Cat Inside) and Last Words (WSB's last journal, which included much about his cats), this book did not add very much. Mostly, I believe this volume was conceived as an art project by WSB and Brion Gysin.
I like cats. I like reading about people liking cats, it warms me in some old place that will probably be the reason I die alone one day. I don't think I should have made this the first William Burroughs book I read though, his others aren't quite as heartwarming...
Mar 08, 2009
Siska Nurohmah
marked it as to-read
I really have to find this book!!
Kalo perlu aku akan meminta seseorang mengingatkanku setiap sebelum tidur... seperti raja Persia yang minta diingetin terus tentang athena sebelum makan malam... hehe...
The cat inside... the cat inside...
Kalo perlu aku akan meminta seseorang mengingatkanku setiap sebelum tidur... seperti raja Persia yang minta diingetin terus tentang athena sebelum makan malam... hehe...
The cat inside... the cat inside...
This is more clear than some of the Burroughs books that I've read. I am also a late in life cat lover. These were great descriptions of cats, personalities, and an insight into Burroughs. Great quick read.
The Cat Inside has both wit and truth. Burroughs will have you laughing at his analogies of cats, humans, and dogs. The truths learned from this are sad, but well deserved to be heard. Must read for cat lovers.
"We are the cats inside. We are the cats who cannot walk alone, and for us there is only one place."
If I didn't own a cat that I love to death, I'm pretty sure this odd little book would have completely eluded me.
If I didn't own a cat that I love to death, I'm pretty sure this odd little book would have completely eluded me.
No way this would have been published by anyone else - you have to be famous first as it's not a great batch of writing. But it does have a few flashes of brilliance. Man those drugs must have been good.
Just finished The Cat Inside by William S Burroughs. It was a short read but a great one, especially if you know cats. "We are the cats inside. We are the cats who cannot walk alone, and for us there is only one place."
So touching. Seems it is one of the most intimate and true autobiography books ever! Plus, it is written in a very simple form and may become a nice start for those not familiar with Burroughs books.
Another good cat book about the writer's dreams and feelings while searching his cat and human soul in the connections between him and his cat friends.
Maybe not the greatest book ever, but is totally about how much Burroughs digs kitties. That alone makes it worth reading.
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William Seward Burroughs Jnr. always looked like the straight man among the Beat Generation, but his writing - violent, satirical, scatological, pornographic - makes the others look tame.
Burroughs was born into middle-class respectability and after studying English at Harvard and medicine in Vienna, trained as a glider pilot with the American military but was discharged as unfit for service in 194...more
More about William S. Burroughs...
Burroughs was born into middle-class respectability and after studying English at Harvard and medicine in Vienna, trained as a glider pilot with the American military but was discharged as unfit for service in 194...more
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“Like all pure creatures, cats are practical.”
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Soul brother!
May 29, 2012 02:38pm
Soul brother!"
Lol!
May 29, 2012 02:51pm