Status Updates From Naked Lunch: The Restored Text

Finally the last few chapters have largely filled in a lot of what’s going on, and seems to be heavily centering on the themes of state control, politics, economics, and social relations in this world, without losing sight of the druggy, trippy absurdism that’s been throughout the book. Still weird and wacky, but I feel like I’m finally really getting a feel for what Burroughs is going for.

ciężko uwierzyć że obejrzenie queer w marcu 2025 roku ostatecznie doprowadziło mnie do pisania magisterki o burroughsie ……… (dlatego też nie mogę sobie pozwolić żeby poczekać na nowe wydanie nagiego lunchu😵‍💫)

I know this whole book is Burroughs’ heroin fueled ramblings, but this chapter (ordinary men and women) truly felt like he was slipping in and out of consciousness the entire time - the peak of the chapter was definitely the story about the man who taught his asshole to talk, leading his asshole to demand equal rights.

My favorite part of the market chapter is when Burroughs seems to take a break from the story to just talk about how he’s actively high on ayahuasca while writing, then his high ramblings seem to suddenly meld back into the story. This chapter also has a great & funny extended religious rant from (presumably) a drug addict. It almost took till the end of the chapter to get to necrophilia this time; progress!

TW: Never seen “Wheeeee!” screamed during sex as much as here. Burroughs proves in AJ’s Annual Party that he can write sex in a pleasantly evocative manner when he wants to, right before it devolves into cumming blood, necrophilia, and rape. The next chapter with the doctor presenting a “deanxietized man” and the patient just turns into a giant centipede to the horror of everyone observing was pretty funny.