Customer Reviews

Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was shocked to click on this page to find that this book was out of print and only had one other reviewer. This was not only one of the best literary biographies I've ever read but also one of the best biographies in general. I actually found this biography to be more interesting than William S. Burrough's writing. Not only does the book gives a detailed account of Burrough's life as well as the lives of other beat luminaries, but it also captures the era in which they created.

First rate writing- pick up this book if you can find it.

The late William S. Burroughs was one of the most compelling and frustrating writers of our times. For every work of dryly humorous genius like Junky and Naked Lunch, there were dozens of frustrating, obscure works that seemed to be more the product of Burroughs' infamous heroin addiction than his own imagination. As others have stated, to truly understand much of Burroughs' work, one has to first understand the man himself and, to my knowledge, there is no better resource than Ted Morgan's long, detailed, but never boring biography. In Literary Outlaw, we get the details of Burroughs' seminal friendships with such future literary icons as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac and we also explore the most controversial aspect of the man's life -- the shooting death of his wife, Joan. (After shooting her in the head, Burroughs claimed they were simply playing a game of "William Tell.")

If just for this information, this book would be a valuable resource but Morgan goes further. He details Burroughs' life after his fame as one of the original beat writers faded. He explains what was actually going on in Burroughs'head when he created the later works that left so many readers not only confused but often rather angry at this man they'd previously clutched to their own artistic souls (perhaps a bit too quickly, as Morgan reveals with an unflinching candor).

The Burroughs who emerges in this book is neither the decadent bohemian of the literary imagination nor the devil incarnate that so many of his critics imagined him to be. Instead, William S. Burroughs comes across as nothing less than the Forrest Gump of modern literature. Somehow, this quiet, rather reserved midwesterner manages to pop up at just about every important underground cultural event of recent history -- often, it seems, just by chance. In Literary Outlaw, Morgan not only gives us a revealing look at the usual suspects -- Kerouac, Ginsberg, Corso, and the other Beats -- but also draws sharp portraits of figures ranging from Terry Southern to Dennis Hopper to James Baldwin to John Houston to thousands of others. Some are famous, some obscure, but all prove to be as fascinating as Burroughs himself.

This is an amazing book, a must for anyone with any interest in the Beats, American literature, world history, or who just wants a chance to relive a truly fascinating life. Be warned though -- Burroughs was both very open about his homosexuality and his drug addictions. Morgan, to his credit, doesn't shy away from detailing these aspects of Burroughs' life. Also to his credit, Morgan neither condemns nor celebrates. In short, prudes need not apply. For the rest of us though, this is a valuable book to be cherished.

Burroughs writings are among the most fascinating in recent literary history, but also quite inaccessible (though few of his readers are willing to admit it). His themes are so personal and idiosyncratically formulated you'd have to be both psychic and a genius to understand what he's on about. This book explains it all. Read this, then go back and read any of his fiction work that happens to be on your shelf. I guarantee your understanding, and your enjoyment, will increase tremendously.

I have never written a review for amazon.com before but I had to add my two cents to the few reviews listed here. This book changed my life. I was already familiar with Burroughs' writing and had read several of his books before I found Morgan's excellent biography. I've read this lengthy tome several times, but I remember the feeling after I finished the first reading: I was inspired to write, write, write. The book cleared up my writer's block and has continued to do so every time I read it. His life really was as strange or stranger than his fiction, and it reminds me always to write what I know. I can't believe this is out of print. Highly recommended to all writers and all fans of biographies.

Ted Morgan has written a detailed biography of the writer and media personality William S. Burroughs that explores his many contradictions. Like so many great biographies, it also serves as a fascinating prism through which to view the times and circumstances that informed his life--the Beat movement of the 50s and 60s. Burroughs produced highly personal, often violent and even pornographic work that reflected his homosexuality, his drug dependence, and his somewhat addled, magical view of the universe, causing him to be viewed by many as a highly decadent, even demonic figure. Morgan contrasts this with the actual man, who was quiet and stiffly polite. One of the most shocking things about him was how conventional his morality was in many ways.

My only familiarity with Burroughs' work is a couple abortive stabs at reading "Naked Lunch" and "The Place of Dead Roads" when I was much too young for them, but I believe that this book is a must for anyone who really wants to understand his writing, since it reflected his personal life so heavily. Here you will find full accounts of the famous incident in which he shot his wife as well as encounters with many of the leading cultural figures of his day. One of the major threads concerns his failure as a father and his difficult relationship with his son Billy. A long chapter covering that tragic young man's final days is one of the most harrowing things I have ever read.

This book changed my life, as did Camille Paglia's "Sexual Personae" when I first read it 19-20 years ago. "Literary Outlaw" is a great window onto the post-WWII-beatnik culture--specifically the friends & people constituting Burroughs' Columbia University / Times Square NYC / Mexico City / Tangiers / Paris / London and again and finally New York City communities--in the 40's and 50's & beyond. Thus this text provides necessary background info missing from "The Letters of William S. Burroughs 1945-1959" (which I also highly recommend). I also learned via "Literary Outlaw" that Burroughs was very interested in magic and/or black magic, of which he was often a practitioner. Subsequently, this interest in magic ties into the dream world/dream time origins (where morality is suspended) of Burroughs' writing. Ted Morgan deconstructs Burroughs with fantastic and fascinating insight--Morgan is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist & experienced biographer, having written 3 other biographies covering more mainstream public figures. PS--The chapter in "Literary Outlaw" dealing with the demise and slow suicide of Burrough's incredibly self-destructive son Billy was heartbreaking and heart-wrenching! It killed me! In fact, it was so heavy it that I could only deal with it in stages.

--Stephen C. Bird, author of "Hideous Exuberance: A Satire"

I read this book in 1989 shortly after it was first published, and very much enjoyed it. I discovered a second hand copy in a bookstore in Brisbane in 2004, bought it and then compulsively read it again. It really is that good. You get a great sense of the remote literary and psychic sage that Burroughs was, and of the character and times of his fellow travellers like Ginsberg, Kerouac and Leary, who went so far out they were unlikely to ever come back. The book charts Burroughs rise as an artistic rebel being adopted by hipsters in the 50's, hippies in the 60's and punks in the late 70's and details his time spent living in cities across the globe and creating subversive masterpieces. The section dealing with the "Nova Convention" is wonderful and the author's admiration for ole WSB comes through this work. You wont be disappointed if you are seeking to understand more about WSB the man and the social contexts in which he lived. I highly recommend this book.

Out of print! Why? From St, Louis to Lawrence, Kansas, Morgan provides a rich, compelling, factual and entertaining look at Burroughs'unconventional lifestyle. A must for readers interested in Burroughs and post World war II literature.

One of the best books that I have ever read!! A true perspective of the Beat Generation from the insight of William S. Burroughs. Also a preview to Naked Lunch.[...]

Read On the Road years ago then a while back read Dharma Bums. Got me interested in K, and then the rest of the Beats. This book will come back in print someday. The only one on Burroughs and who needs another, it seems to cover it all. A strange tale only more so since it was relatively true. My only edit would be the scene with Jagger. Could there have been any other outcome? Also the end of his son - the horror, but even with Naked Lunch the horror of this poor Junkies life and mind might never be told...