William Burroughs' NAKED LUNCH
I know I'm some kind of interplanetary agent but I don't think my signals are decoding properly.
On July 7, 1966, the Supreme Court of the state of Massachusetts cleared William S. Burrough's novel NAKED LUNCH of obscenity charges, reversing an earlier Superior Court decision. They stated that Burroughs frank descriptions of drug use and graphic sex were protected by the First Amendment, and prevented the book from being banned in the state. The novel has also been declared non-obscene at a trial in 1965 in Los Angeles.
Why "Naked Lunch?"
as William Burroughs himself explained...
"I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonablly good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive The Sickness.... Most survivors do not remember the delirium in detail. I apparently took detailed notes on sickness and delirium. I have no precise memory of writing the notes which have now been published under the title Naked Lunch. The title was suggested by Jack Kerouac. I did not understand what the title meant until my recent recovery. The title means exactly what the words say: NAKED Lunch - a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork."
-- William Burroughs, from the introduction to NAKED LUNCHBurroughs was a drug addict for the majority of his adult life. This is what he is referring to when he speaks of "the Sickness." Over the course of his writings, he makes it clear that he didn't necessarily have one particular substance that was his favorite: he used and abused a stunning array of medications in his lifetime.
NAKED LUNCH Online - critiques and criticisms, references and resources
- Burroughs, Naked Lunch
Published in Paris in 1959, The Naked Lunch used unconventional writing techniques to depict an underground world fighting a technological society that was self destructing. It was both praised as literary genius and dismissed as indecipherable garba - LitKicks: Naked Lunch
This is the definitive Burroughs book. It slips and slides and glides through alleyways and canals of madness, degredation and perversion, ending up nowhere. It's sick and very, very clever. - Naked Lunch | TIME Magazine - ALL-TIME 100 Novels
An heir to the Burroughs adding machine fortune, Burroughs the novelist hated the despots of Squaresville and the whole world where money makes its fist. This is his greatest book and the template for all the ones that followed. - Naked Lunch: The Restored Text - Google Book Search
Naked Lunch: The Restored Text By William S. Burroughs - The Sad, But Interesting Truth About Naked Lunch and William S. Burroughs
If you have never read Naked Lunch, this essay will serve as an appropriate introduction to the work of a man who was both a 20th century genius and a 20th century failure. - Naked Lunch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naked Lunch is a novel by William S. Burroughs. It was the third novel he wrote, but was the second of his novels to see publication.
See Just What's On The End Of The Fork... - performance clips, videos, movie excerpts, interpretations
The Controversy Over NAKED LUNCH
- Alibris: Used, New and Out-of-Print Books, Music and Movies
Only after Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was cleared of obscenity charges in 1962 was Naked Lunch published in the U.S. The novel was found obscene in Boston in 1965; however, the finding was reversed by the State Supreme Court in 1966. - Psychedelic 60s: The Beats: New York
After a number of unsuccessful attempts to kick his drug habit, Burroughs succeeded with Dr. John Yerbury Dent's apomorphine treatment in London. Returning to Tangiers, fueled by marijuana and coffee, Burroughs began typing at top speed for six hours - Naked Lunch - Banned
NAKED LUNCH, the controversial masterpiece by Beat Generation founding father William S. Burroughs, has the distinction of being the last novel banned in the United States. Decried as obscene, the novel uses frank and extremely graphic depictions of
The Movie - directed by David Cronenberg
The matching of author Burroughs with director Cronenberg seems a natural one... I mean, who else could film an adaptation of a book deemed unfilmable? Cronenberg uses the novel as a jumping off point, dipping back into the text for delicious bits of dialog and bringing the themes of addiction and control to light.
Into The Interzone - what's your opinion of NAKED LUNCH?
How do you feel about this book?
More About William S. Burroughs
- William S. Burroughs
American writer of experimental novels, who lived long times in Mexico City, Tanger, Paris, and London. Burroughs's homosexual themes in THE NAKED LUNCH (1959) and the frankness with which he dealt with his own experiences as a drug addict sparkled t - LitKicks: William S. Burroughs
biography of author william s. burroughs - The Beat Page - William S. Burroughs
Perhaps one of the most colorful writers to emerge from the Beat period, William S. Burroughs has led an extremely interesting life. - Frank Zappa - The Talking Asshole
Listen to Frank Zappa read The Talking Asshole from William S. Burroughs Naked Lunch. Taken from The Nova Convention Time: 5 min 25 sec December 2, 1978
