William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible : A Portrait [Paperback]

Barry Miles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1994

With the premiere of David Cronenberg's adaptation of Burrows' Naked Lunch, a new wave of fascination has been generated for this fierce anti-establishment crusader--"the only American novelist living today who may conceivably be possessed of genius" (Norman Mailer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this affable and affectionate biography, Miles ( Allen Ginsberg ), a friend of Burroughs since 1964, covers the controversial writer's addictions, idiosyncrasies and personal relationships, as well as his writings. Drawing on Burroughs's correspondences and on his own experiences with him, Miles gives only a cursory account of Burroughs's early life in St. Louis, where he was born in 1914, and his years in Latin America, Paris, Tangiers and London. But he updates other biographies with a chapter on Burroughs's life in Lawrence, Kansas, where he settled in 1984, and with a discussion of his impact on modern culture. Miles is best when considering the genesis and intermingling of Burroughs's fiction and nonfiction. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his latest work, Miles ( Ginsberg: A Biography , Simon & Schuster, 1989) turns his attention to William Burroughs. His book falls somewhere between Ted Morgan's comprehensive biography, Literary Outlaw ( LJ 10/15/88), and Jennie Skerl's introductory volume, William Burroughs (Twayne, 1985). Miles traces autobiographical parallels in Burroughs's work and examines his friendships with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Brion Gysin, among others. He details Burroughs's influence in rock and film circles within the general framework of his growing critical acclaim. Miles's book is especially valuable for its coverage of the complex textual history of Burroughs's work. The final chapter includes an evaluation of his "shotgun art." Recommended for contemporary literature collections.
- William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078688018X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786880188
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,152,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars written by Burroughs' best friend?, January 11, 2002

By 

W. K. Miller "kenmiller32" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible (Hardcover)

Miles' biography is intended for the general reader. There is good background on Burroughs' childhood, a good bit of biographical detail throughout, and the book doesn't delve into the written works all too deeply. Being one of three general biographies written about Burroughs, it bears comparing to the books by Ted Morgan and Graham Caveney. Miles' book is not as scholarly or exhaustive as Morgan's book, Literary Outlaw, but is both more scholarly and more exhaustive than Caveney's, Gentleman Junkie. It was written after Literary Outlaw, so there is more information on the Kansas years here, including a chapter entitled "Shotgun Art".

This is a biography intended for a general readership. Miles' familiarity with his subject may make this of interest even to the Burroughs beginner. There is a bibliography of works written by Burroughs (but none about him), and an index.

Miles seems to be Burroughs' biggest fan. This is not a critical appraisal of Burroughs OR his works. At times the writing is very bad. Still, Miles had the advantage of a fascinating subject.

If you haven't read a book about Burroughs before, read Literary Outlaw, by Ted Morgan, and pass this one up.

ken32

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive exploration of writing life, October 24, 2002

By 

Neil Ford (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible (Hardcover)

This was the first biography of Burroughs I read; I also have the Ted Morgan biography, but I don't think a direct qualitative comparison is possible. While Morgan goes into enormous biographical detail, Miles puts Burroughs' work in central position, and his analyses are really perceptive and thorough, with demonstrative use of passages from the text as well as references to relevant events in Burroughs' life. It is, as other reviewers have said, really the best existing introduction to Burroughs' work - I don't know if I could have made it through the cut-up trilogy without the preparation of reading this book first.

I should also point out that some biographical details are here which are not in Morgan, e.g. the use of real names where Morgan substituted pseudonyms.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good bio, April 4, 2006

By 

DC5 (Northwest United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible (Hardcover)

This seems to be a good introduction to the life and times of Bill Burroughs. I've read little of Burroughs' works, so I am not one to judge his overall literary merits. I have only read two-thirds of "Cities of the Red Night," which I found to be confusing to the point of being unreadable. I realize, however, that this only touches a tiny bit of Burroughs' output. With difficult authors like Burroughs, I sometimes become more interested in the life of the author, and less interested in his/her works. If this is you, then this book is for you. Here, Miles (Allen Ginsberg) covers Bill Burroughs from birth to death. There's plenty of interesting detail on Burroughs as the sensitive, withdrawn, homosexual youth, more on his years overseas with Ginsberg, Gysin, Kerouac, Bowles, and others, plus a nice wrap up with Burroughs in Kansas. Miles pulls no punches, at once painting Burroughs as a genius, and again as a serious drug addict who would spend hours doing nothing but staring at the tips of his shoes. Miles does a good job of explaining the genesis of many of Burroughs' works, and the odd ways in which they were assembled. Recommended.