With a new preface as well as a final chapter on William S. Burroughs's last years, the acclaimed
Literary Outlaw is the only existing full biography of an extraordinary figure. Anarchist, heroin addict, alcoholic, and brilliant writer, Burroughs was the patron saint of the Beats. His avant-garde masterpiece
Naked Lunch shook up the literary world with its graphic descriptions of drug abuse and illicit sex-and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. Burroughs continued to revolutionize literature with novels like
The Soft Machine and to shock with the events in his life, such as the accidental shooting of his wife, which haunted him until his death. Ted Morgan captures the man, his work, and his friends-Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles among them-in this riveting story of an iconoclast.
About the AuthorPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ted Morgan is the author of Maugham and FDR; his latest book is Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War. He lives in New York.
Reviews"I was captivated. . . . Funny. . . exhaustive . . . clear-sighted." -- Paul Theroux
"Triumphant. . . . Unsparingly naturalistic reporting at its best." -- Washington Post
Book InformationISBN 9780393342604
Author Ted MorganFormat Paperback
Page Count 746
Imprint WW Norton & CoPublisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 1131g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 157mm * 33mm