Port of Saints [Paperback]

William S. Burroughs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1980

Somewhere a long time ago the summer ended....

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

"A weird wit and an integrity beyond corruption shine through its savage workings.

Review

"He has taken the remotest retreats of Everyman's experience and stretched them into landscapes of polymorphous perversity, designed not so much to scandalize as to illuminate. To read Burroughs is to be seduced." -- Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1980

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Blue Wind Pr (September 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912652659
• ISBN-13: 978-0912652658
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetic Piece Of The Burroughs Puzzle, August 12, 1999

By 

Neil Ford (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Port of Saints (Paperback)

A comparatively obscure work that came after Exterminator! and before Cities Of The Red Night. Very poetic and beautiful to read, continuing the ideas and characters of The Wild Boys from a different viewpoint: revolution through magic, body transference, lust and violence, and in this case sentimental reminiscence of an idealised boyhood. Although not as explosive as some of his more lauded works, this is nonetheless a treasure that has haunted me like a lost love.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rarely Read But Important For Any Burrough's Fan, June 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Port of Saints (Paperback)

This book is often passed over and has little that can't be experienced in other must-reads by Burroughs like the two early narratives, Naked Lunch, and the cut-up trilogy. But what it does contain is possibly "real" autobiographical insight into Burroughs' childhood. It was written at an important phase in Burroughs' life--just as he was preparing to return to the US of A from his self-inflicted exile in Tunisia. What is surprising about this book is that it is his only work primarily situated in childhood episodes. Are these his own early experiences with sexuality? Difficult to decipher. Also shocking (to a Burroughs' reader) is his attempt to direct his cut-up random method into a more apprehendable narrative. Also, it largely occurs in St. Louis and his early boyhood homes in America... with periodic flights to an "interzone." This review is for a reader of Burroughs, and as I have said there isn't much new here nor is it his best writing, but each of the facets I mentioned about should compel an avid fan to read this strangely personal and insightful look into a man in transition and upheavel who normally and so easily eludes interpretation and any sense of emotion. Try it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Port of Saints...., July 18, 2005

By 

D. Mcquade "rankin-raver" (Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Port of Saints (Paperback)

I completely disagree with the review "Rarely Read But Important For Any Burrough's Fan, June 17, 1998"

He starts off, correctly, but misses the point. By alternating the "dream" or interzone sequences, he is letting out his early childhood- dreams and experiences. Having read ALL of his books, and most of the biographies- as well as seeing him read before he passed away- I think this is one of the missed gems, and should be more recognized for what it is- simply another brilliant book by WSB. (1914-1997) The mere fact that he didn't want to be a writer, and Kerouac and Ginsberg had to type all his early manuscripts for him- speaks for itself. It's incredible. If he hadn't picked up a pen,there would be a great loss in literature. As Norman Mailer correctly pointed out, "He is the only writer alive, conceivably possessed by genius..."