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Interzone
In 1954 William Burroughs settled in Tangiers, finding a sanctuary of sorts in its shadowy streets, blind alleys, and lowlife decadence. It was this city that served as a catalyst for Burroughs as a writer, the backdrop for one of the most radical transformations of style in literary history. Burroughs's life during this period is limned in a startling collection of short stories, autobiographical sketches, letters, and diary entries, all of which showcase his trademark mordant humour, while delineating the addictions to drugs and sex that are the central metaphors of his work. But it is the extraordinary "WORD," a long, sexually wild and deliberately offensive tirade, that blends confession, routine, and fantasy and marks the true turning point of Burroughs as a writer-the breakthrough of his own characteristic voice that will find its full realization in Naked Lunch. James Grauerholz's incisive introduction sets the scene for this series of pieces, guiding the reader through Burroughs's literary evolution from the precise, laconic, and deadpan writer of Junky and Queer to the radical, uncompromising seer of Naked Lunch. Interzone is an indispensable addition to the canon of his works.
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
William S. Burroughs
389 books7,320 followersWilliam Seward Burroughs II, (also known by his pen name William Lee) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer.
A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century".
His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote 18 novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays.
Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
He was born to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, grandson of the inventor and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, William Seward Burroughs I, and nephew of public relations manager Ivy Lee. Burroughs began writing essays and journals in early adolescence. He left home in 1932 to attend Harvard University, studied English, and anthropology as a postgraduate, and later attended medical school in Vienna. After being turned down by the Office of Strategic Services and U.S. Navy in 1942 to serve in World War II, he dropped out and became afflicted with the drug addiction that affected him for the rest of his life, while working a variety of jobs. In 1943 while living in New York City, he befriended Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, the mutually influential foundation of what became the countercultural movement of the Beat Generation.
Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, primarily drawn from his experiences as a heroin addict, as he lived throughout Mexico City, London, Paris, Berlin, the South American Amazon and Tangier in Morocco. Finding success with his confessional first novel, Junkie (1953), Burroughs is perhaps best known for his third novel Naked Lunch (1959), a controversy-fraught work that underwent a court case under the U.S. sodomy laws. With Brion Gysin, he also popularized the literary cut-up technique in works such as The Nova Trilogy (1961–64). In 1983, Burroughs was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1984 was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France. Jack Kerouac called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift", a reputation he owes to his "lifelong subversion" of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism. J. G. Ballard considered Burroughs to be "the most important writer to emerge since the Second World War", while Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius".
Burroughs had one child, William Seward Burroughs III (1947-1981), with his second wife Joan Vollmer. Vollmer died in 1951 in Mexico City. Burroughs was convicted of manslaughter in Vollmer's death, an event that deeply permeated all of his writings. Burroughs died at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, after suffering a heart attack in 1997.
A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century".
His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote 18 novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays.
Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
He was born to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, grandson of the inventor and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, William Seward Burroughs I, and nephew of public relations manager Ivy Lee. Burroughs began writing essays and journals in early adolescence. He left home in 1932 to attend Harvard University, studied English, and anthropology as a postgraduate, and later attended medical school in Vienna. After being turned down by the Office of Strategic Services and U.S. Navy in 1942 to serve in World War II, he dropped out and became afflicted with the drug addiction that affected him for the rest of his life, while working a variety of jobs. In 1943 while living in New York City, he befriended Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, the mutually influential foundation of what became the countercultural movement of the Beat Generation.
Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, primarily drawn from his experiences as a heroin addict, as he lived throughout Mexico City, London, Paris, Berlin, the South American Amazon and Tangier in Morocco. Finding success with his confessional first novel, Junkie (1953), Burroughs is perhaps best known for his third novel Naked Lunch (1959), a controversy-fraught work that underwent a court case under the U.S. sodomy laws. With Brion Gysin, he also popularized the literary cut-up technique in works such as The Nova Trilogy (1961–64). In 1983, Burroughs was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1984 was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France. Jack Kerouac called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift", a reputation he owes to his "lifelong subversion" of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism. J. G. Ballard considered Burroughs to be "the most important writer to emerge since the Second World War", while Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius".
Burroughs had one child, William Seward Burroughs III (1947-1981), with his second wife Joan Vollmer. Vollmer died in 1951 in Mexico City. Burroughs was convicted of manslaughter in Vollmer's death, an event that deeply permeated all of his writings. Burroughs died at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, after suffering a heart attack in 1997.
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May 22, 2026
Burroughsova Interzóna je sbírka různorodých textů, které jsou svědectvím o přerodu jeho stylu z objektivně popisného na nespoutaný surreálný proud vědomí. Kniha je opatřena vynikající předmluvou Jamese Grauerholze, která podává klíč k tomu, co se v knize odehrává a jakým způsobem ji číst. Bez ní by bylo Burroughsovým textem velmi obtížné proniknout. Ačkoliv totiž jednotlivé texty mají každý svůj děj a charakter, jsou prostoupené řadou vzájemných odkazů a pojítek, takže mnohem důležitější je výsledná mozaika, nebo spíš rostoucí drúza, (auto)fikčního světa Interzóny.
Extrémně zajímavé jsou autorovy průběžné poznámky o procesu psaní, jeho zápas s románovou formou a metoda "rutiny" - jakési programové transgresivní exhibice, která ohrožuje jak autora, tak diváky, jež proti jejich vůli vtahuje do děje. Jak vypravěč (Burroughs), tak jeho er-formové alter-ego William Lee (a v podstatě všechny ostatní postavy) jsou samozřejmě naprosto otřesné a opovrženíhodné bytosti a samotné texty jsou občas až fyzicky nepříjemné na čtení. Především závěrečné pásmo 'Slovo' je chaotická tiráda obscénností prokládaných spíláním čtenáři a prakticky se nedá číst. Jenže, podobně jako třeba u Kafky, je za tím cítit promyšlený plán a obrovské množství vůle a autorské poctivosti nutné k tomu, aby autor dokázal tak bohatou žílu anihilujícího hnusu narazit. Skvěle to shrnuje Grauerholz na konci své předmluvy:
"Záměrně pobuřující tón jeho hlasu odráží exorcismus čtyř dekád jeho života, které byly poznamenány potlačovanou sexualitou, přizpůsobováním se společnosti a osobní zkušeností s nevyčerpatelnou lidskou ošklivostí a hlupstvím. Jedině tím, že se osvobodil od jakéhokoliv konceptu 'špatného vkusu' či sebepotlačování, dokázal v následujících třiceti letech tak osvobodit své psaní." (s. 19)
Extrémně zajímavé jsou autorovy průběžné poznámky o procesu psaní, jeho zápas s románovou formou a metoda "rutiny" - jakési programové transgresivní exhibice, která ohrožuje jak autora, tak diváky, jež proti jejich vůli vtahuje do děje. Jak vypravěč (Burroughs), tak jeho er-formové alter-ego William Lee (a v podstatě všechny ostatní postavy) jsou samozřejmě naprosto otřesné a opovrženíhodné bytosti a samotné texty jsou občas až fyzicky nepříjemné na čtení. Především závěrečné pásmo 'Slovo' je chaotická tiráda obscénností prokládaných spíláním čtenáři a prakticky se nedá číst. Jenže, podobně jako třeba u Kafky, je za tím cítit promyšlený plán a obrovské množství vůle a autorské poctivosti nutné k tomu, aby autor dokázal tak bohatou žílu anihilujícího hnusu narazit. Skvěle to shrnuje Grauerholz na konci své předmluvy:
"Záměrně pobuřující tón jeho hlasu odráží exorcismus čtyř dekád jeho života, které byly poznamenány potlačovanou sexualitou, přizpůsobováním se společnosti a osobní zkušeností s nevyčerpatelnou lidskou ošklivostí a hlupstvím. Jedině tím, že se osvobodil od jakéhokoliv konceptu 'špatného vkusu' či sebepotlačování, dokázal v následujících třiceti letech tak osvobodit své psaní." (s. 19)
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review