Customer Reviews

The Yage Letters

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

 

 

The Yage Letters is an interesting collection of correspondance from William S Burroughs to Allen Ginsberg spanning from Jan. 15 to July 10, 1953. In addition to capturing the essence of Burroughs style and subject matter, albeit in a rather raw form, the letters tell of his search for the mythic mind-altering natural drug Yage.

Incidentally, this search took place directly after Burroughs had fled from Mexico after the accidental death of his wife at his own hand. Although there are many jewels to be found in this small book for the dedicated fan of Burroughs' work, they are spread throughout with many tedious, repetitious and confusing entries. Ginsburg's contribution, which I hoped would lend a voice of explanation to the letters, is instead a spasmolytic account of his own experience on the same drug, seemingly penned when still under the influence of it.

All in all, an interesting account of one of America's most important author's experiences traveling through Latin and South America in the early 50's--a time of great upheaval and fervor in that region. Highly recommended for Burroughs fanatics and seems to prefigure his work Cities of the Red Night. However, for those not yet familar with his revolutionary writing style I recommend Cities of the Red Night, and Junky.

A great piece of history by the avant garde writers, in this case some letters, of autonomous thinkers (and doers) that depart from the mediocre bourgeois and robotic, patriotic, mind-melted citizen. Reading this book and I'm not sure if I should frown on Burrough's way of life or envy it. I don't favor much of his drug use and his tastes and sexual preferences, but at the same time, neither do I endorse our societal neurotic phobias and radical attacks under their Augustinian mentality. This is a culture under repression. Despite Burrough's rough edges (depravity or art?), there is that amazing element of spontaneity, of dangerous living, of freedom from the protective rational securities that so many of us weak Westerners so much rely on. Reading his accounts from town to town, from boy, pervert, hoar, food, social spots and Yage encounters, kind of puts you both there and in the mind of Burroughs to an extent. Everyone sees reality interpreted through their perceptional lenses and this is definitely colored glasses looking at the time, place and people. Since these are mostly personal letters to Ginsberg, they aren't the cut up collage style you'd find in Naked Lunch, however he does mention this in one of his letters and does a little of it in a poem and maybe his last statement aimed at all humanity.

Written 7 years later, there are a few letters from Ginsberg, questioning his experience with Yage and asking for Burrough's advise. He had a deeper and scarier experience than LSD and was afraid of entering deeper and deeper into the realm he was heading. And wrote some good poetic thoughts in his confusion. Apparently all went well with a later 1963 letter showing strength again and experiential confidence.

This is the best collection of letters I have ever read, next to The Letters of William S. Burroughs. Bill's letters to Allen really TAKE YOU THERE, as he once said about Colette. Bill rants against the U.S. Point Four agrarian bureaucracy, missionaries living "the life of Riley", Peruvian boys who roll him for his money, eyeglasses, etc.; however, Bill said to Allen that he "shared with the late Father Flanigan - he of Boys Town - the deep conviction that there is no such thing as a bad boy." Overall, good reading and a good record of South America in the early 1950's.

The Yage Letters was a correspondence between William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Burroughs describes his ongoing search for the ancient drug, starting in Mexico, and finishing in South America. Likewise, Ginsberg finishes where Burroughs left off and the rest is history. I enjoyed reading this book, and was pleased to learn about new cultures and info on hallucinogens. The book can become overwelming in some section, especially the last bit about the cut-up process; nevertheless, it's still an interesting idea, which Burroughs had utilized in every artistic medium. Also included are a few sketches by Ginsberg himself

I've been a long time fan of WSB and this is another great insight into the man. Yage Letters is a must for the Beat reader! Pure, raw and brief glimpses of a person in pursuit of knowledge.

Come on guys! Does it really matter what, if anything, Burroughs was on? The book is a slick pile of cold and raspy commentary from an extremely defensive--one might say hyper-skeptical--and yet, it seems, limitlessly curious, man. It is interesting to compare the Ginsberg descriptions of the yage experience with those of Burroughs. Notice elements of warmth either evident or missing in each writer. If ever you were looking for evidence that the writer as subject is not a fiction, this would be a place to start; looking to show that what purports to be objective journalism, really is not, this could be a starting place as well. Especially worth it is the description, if one believes it, of an early gay experience in, I believe, the books first letter, how Burroughs's narrative moves by playing with the reader's emotions as he chronicles his own betrayal and manipulation. Very little here about yage--which I applaud--more a really literate performance of how frozen, razor-sharp intellect and observation act both as assault weapons against the normalizing forces of socio-psychological conditioning/representation and as dehumanizing perversity. Funny, tragic, brilliant, pathetic.

Words came so easily to Burroughs--it reminds me that the computer revolution is steamrolling right over the art of good letter writing. Can you imagine him writing these letters as e-mails today? Certainly not. A must-have if you like wild goose chases through jungles with apathetic tour guides in search of gay sex & new herbal highs.

THE YAGE LETTERS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST ENTRIES BY WLLIAM BURROUGHS AND THE ENTIRE BEAT GENERATION. I'VE READ MANY OF BURROUGHS BOOKS INCLUDING, JUNKY, MY EDUCATION, THE WILD BOYS, AND SOME OF NAKED LUNCH. BUT, THE YAGE LETTERS HAD ME SAYING, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPIERENCE THE " VINE "!!! IT'S DEFINATELY A 5 STAR BOOK!!!

He was under the influence of Yage...not drunk.......that is what the book is about....YAGE!!!!!!

bURROUGHS WAS A TRUE GENIUS