Iconoclast; visionary; homosexual crusader; drug advocate; teacher and elder statesman to the Beats: William Burroughs remains one of the most complex and controversial American writers of the twentieth century.

After killing his wife in a bizarre shooting accident, Burroughs moved to Tangier where he lived in a male brothel and wrote his celebrated bestseller Naked Lunch - in Newsweek's words 'A masterpiece. A cry from Hell' and spent much of the rest of his life in self-imposed exile from the United States. Following Burroughs' death in August 1997, Barry Miles updated his riveting, highly readable and unconventional biography of this legendary provocateur and all-round thorn in the side of the establishment.

Repackaged and refreshed, this seminal biography of a counter-cultural icon is re-issued to form a core part of the Virgin backlist: '[Miles's] mastery of Beat Generation know-how must surely be unrivalled.' Sunday Telegraph

About the Author
Barry Miles is a bestselling author of numerous biographies and cultural histories of the Beat Generation luminaries, The Beatles, the sixties movements and its musicians. He lives in London.

Reviews
Miles traces threads of Burroughs' images from childhood to tough elder genius, isolating sensitive themes, following recurrences and evolution of routines, clarifying Burroughs' comic pathetic heroic philosophies and insights into coherent whole. Miles familiarises even old close readers with a fine map of Burroughs' mind. * Allan Ginsberg *
There can be no more effective introduction. * Q *
Gives shape to a life that would otherwise seem crowded and aimless. * Independent on Sunday *



Book Information
ISBN 9780753507070
Author Barry Miles
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Virgin Books
Publisher Ebury Publishing
Weight(grams) 198g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 126mm * 18mm