Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader Read online

  Praise for Word Virus:

  “A stringent modernist, a spiritual child of Joyce . . . The reader of this volume will find the anarchy of Burroughs’ finely tuned mind well represented. . . . Editors Grauerholz and Silverberg show sensitivity in their choice of selections from Burroughs’ long and productive career; their dedication to his legacy is evident. There is a very informative and compassionate introduction by Ann Douglas.”—Booklist

  “Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader finally brings the author’s actual writing back to the forefront. In their selections, editors James Grauerholz and Ira Silverberg highlight the many faces of Burroughs: the narrative pioneer, the sardonic stand-up, the asexual Tiresias-like seer, and, in what may be a surprise to many, the humanist. . . . Apocalyptic, carnal and raw, Burroughs’ work bridges the epiphanies of modernism with the Foucaultian cool of postmodernism. He stretches modernist forms and grammar like narrative silly putty, prefiguring the sly mischief of postmodern writers such as Thomas Pynchon and William Gibson.”—Salon

  “The deadpan granddad of postmodernism is well represented in this bountiful collection of fiction, essays and collaborations from all stages of Burroughs’s (1913–1997) career. . . . Dark humor runs through this collection.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “This well-edited collection of Burroughs’ work . . . reminds us of his restless, savage intelligence and complicated insider-outsider perspective on human society.”—Out

  “Burroughs’ writing [was] as metallic and riveting as the bullet casings he left littering his real and fictional paths. . . . [Word Virus] traces the evolution of Burroughs’ style and preoccupations over the course of nearly 50 years. . . . Of great interest and a welcome contribution to Burroughs scholarship.”

  —Bay Area Reporter

  “An endangered forest of words, narcotics, memories, and lessons. The trip is one not to be easily forgotten, full of fun and fury and feverish imaginings. . . . For both the student and the casual reader, [Grauerholz and Silverberg’s] expertise and understanding of the work of William S. Burroughs will provide much food for thought as well as an apt resource for examining the postwar period in American letters.”—LGNY

  “This book surveys the life’s work of the author whom J. G. Ballard once called the greatest myth-maker of the twentieth century. . . . Readers seeking an introduction to his vast and multifarious oeuvre need look no further than this magnificent volume.”—Science Fiction Studies

  WORD VIRUS

  the WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS reader

  WORD VIRUS

  the WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS reader

  edited by james grauerholz

  and ira silverberg

  with an introduction by ann douglas

  Copyright © 1998 by James W. Grauerholz, Trustee, The William S. Burroughs Trust

  Introduction copyright © 1998 by Ann Douglas

  Biographical essays copyright © 1998 by James W. Grauerholz

  Preface copyright © 1998 by Ira Silverberg

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, or the facilitation thereof, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

  Published simultaneously in Canada

  Printed in the United States of America

  All selections from The Cat Inside (© 1992 William S. Burroughs), Exterminator! (© 1966, 1967, 1969, 1973 William S. Burroughs), Interzone (© 1989 William S. Burroughs), My Education (© 1995 William S. Burroughs), Queer (© 1985 William S. Burroughs) and The Western Lands (© 1987 William S. Burroughs) are used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.

  All selections from Cities of the Red Night (© 1981 William S. Burroughs) and The Place of Dead Roads (© 1983 William S. Burroughs) are reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

  All selections from The Burroughs File (© 1987 William S. Burroughs) and The Yage Letters (© 1963, 1975 William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg) are reprinted by permission of City Lights Books.

  All selections from The Adding Machine (© 1985, 1986 William S. Burroughs) are published by arrangement with Seaver Books.

  All selections from Junky (© 1953, 1977, renewed 1981 William S. Burroughs) The Job (© 1968, 1970, renewed 1997, 1998 William S. Burroughs) and The Third Mind (© 1974, 1978 William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin) are used by permission of The William S. Burroughs Trust.

  The excerpt from And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks (an unpublished manuscript by William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac) is used by permission of The William S. Burroughs Trust and with the gracious consent of the Estate of Jack Kerouac, John Sampas, Executor.

  The essay “Personal Magnetism” by William S. Burroughs was first published in Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs, by Ted Morgan (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1988) and is used by permission of The William S. Burroughs Trust.

  All selections from Naked Lunch (© 1959, 1962, renewed 1987, 1990 William S. Burroughs), The Soft Machine (© 1961, 1966, renewed 1989, 1994 William S. Burroughs), The Ticket that Exploded (© 1962, 1967, renewed 1990, 1995 William S. Burroughs), Nova Express (© 1964, renewed 1992 William S. Burroughs) and The Wild Boys (© 1971 William S. Burroughs) are reprinted from editions published by Grove Press.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Burroughs, William S., 1914–97

  Word virus : the William S. Burroughs reader / edited by James

  Grauerholz and Ira Silverberg.

  p. cm.

  “Collected in one volume the essential writings of America’s foremost literary innovator.”

  ISBN 0-8021-3694-X

  ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-3694-7

  1. Beat generation—Literary collections. 2. Burroughs, William

  S., 1914–97 —Biography. 3. Authors, American—20th century—

  Biography. I. Grauerholz, James. II. Silverberg, Ira.

  III. Title.

  PS3552.U75A6 1998

  813’.54—dc21

  97-48269

  CIP

  DESIGN BY LAURA HAMMOND HOUGH

  Grove Press

  an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

  841 Broadway

  New York, NY 10003

  Distributed by Publishers Group West

  www.groveatlantic.com

  08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  contents

  Ira Silverberg: Editor’s Preface

  Ann Douglas: “Punching a Hole in the Big Lie:

  The Achievement of William S. Burroughs”

  Editors’ Note

  THE NAME IS BURROUGHS (1914–44)

  James Grauerholz: “The Name Is Burroughs”

  From The Adding Machine:

  The Name Is Burroughs (excerpt) (1973)

  Personal Magnetism (1929)

  Twilight’s Last Gleamings (with Kells Elvins) (1938)

  And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks (excerpt) (with Jack Kerouac) (1945)

  A HARD-BOILED REPORTER (1945–53)

  James Grauerholz: “A Hard-Boiled Reporter”

  From Junky:

  Prologue (1952)

  Selections (1950–52)

&nb
sp; From Queer:

  Selections (1951–52)

  Epilogue: Mexico City Return (excerpts) (1953)

  Introduction (excerpts) (1985)

  The Yagé Letters:

  Selections (1953)

  Roosevelt After Inauguration (May 1953)

  INTERZONE (1954–59)

  James Grauerholz: “Interzone”

  From Interzone (1988 anthology):

  International Zone (1955)

  Lee’s Journals (excerpts) (1955)

  Spare Ass Annie (1955)

  Ginsberg Notes (excerpts) (1955)

  WORD (excerpts) (1957–58)

  From Naked Lunch (1955–59):

  I Can Feel the Heat Closing In

  The Black Meat

  Hospital (excerpts)

  The Market (excerpts)

  Islam, Inc. (excerpts)

  Ordinary Men and Women (excerpt: The Talking Asshole)

  Atrophied Preface

  Quick . . .

  THE CUT-UPS (1960–67)

  James Grauerholz: “The Cut-Ups”

  From The Soft Machine (1957–60):

  Dead on Arrival

  Case of the Celluloid Kali

  The Mayan Caper

  Where You Belong

  Uranian Willy

  From The Ticket That Exploded (1957–61):

  “see the action, B.J.?”

  do you love me?

  operation rewrite

  call the old doctor twice?

  the invisible generation

  From Nova Express (1961–63):

  Last Words

  Prisoners, Come Out

  Pry Yourself Loose and Listen

  So Pack Your Ermines

  Shift Coordinate Points

  Coordinate Points

  Short Count

  Twilight’s Last Gleaming

  Pay Color

  Pay Off the Marks?

  Clom Fliday

  INSPECTOR LEE: NOVA HEAT (1964–84)

  James Grauerholz: “Inspector Lee: Nova Heat”

  From The Burroughs File:

  Ancient Face Gone Out (1963)

  The Beginning Is Also the End (1963)

  Who Is the Third That Walks Beside You (1964)

  The Last Post Danger Ahead (1964)

  Last Awning Flaps on the Pier (1964)

  St. Louis Return (1965)

  From The Third Mind (with Brion Gysin):

  The Exterminator (1962–65)

  The Future of the Novel (1964)

  Notes on These Pages (1964)

  Technical Deposition of the Virus Power (1965)

  In Present Time (1965)

  From The Job:

  The American Non-Dream (1969)

  Institute of Advanced Sexual Studies: Academy Bulletin No. 18 (1969)

  Electronic Revolution (1970–71)

  Control (1970)

  From The Adding Machine:

  It Is Necessary to Travel. . . (1969)

  Remembering Jack Kerouac (1969)

  From The Burroughs File:

  The Bay of Pigs (1972)

  From Roosevelt After Inauguration and Other Atrocities:

  When Did I Stop Wanting to Be President? (1975)

  Roosevelt After Inauguration: A New Introduction (1975)

  From The Adding Machine:

  A Word to the Wise Guy (1975)

  The Limits of Control (1975)

  Les Voleurs (1976)

  Immortality (1976)

  The Johnson Family (excerpts) (1977)

  QUEER UTOPIA (1968–73)

  James Grauerholz: “Queer Utopia”

  From The Wild Boys (1968–69):

  And Bury the Bread Deep in a Sty

  The Penny Arcade Peep Show

  “Mother and I Would Like to Know”

  The Wild Boys Smile

  From Exterminator!:

  “Exterminator!” (1966)

  The Discipline of DE (1970)

  “What Washington? What Orders?” (1972)

  From Here to Eternity (1972)

  Seeing Red (1972)

  The “Priest” They Called Him (1967)

  Cold Lost Marbles (1972)

  THE RED NIGHT TRILOGY (1973–87)

  James Grauerholz: “The Red Night Trilogy”

  From Cities of the Red Night (1974–80):

  Fore!

  Invocation

  Politics Here Is Death

  Harbor Point

  The Private Asshole

  Lettre de Marque (excerpt)

  Port Roger (excerpt)

  Cities of the Red Night

  We Are Here Because of You

  Return to Port Roger

  From The Place of Dead Roads (selections) (1977–83):

  Shoot-Out in Boulder

  “For three days Kim had camped on the mesa top . . .”

  “Kim has never doubted the possibility of an afterlife . . .”

  “Kim got off the stage at Cottonwood Junction”

  “Look at this picture from Tom’s collection . . .”

  “Kim recruits a band of flamboyant and picturesque outlaws . . .”

  “Killed in the Manhattan Shoot-Out. . . April 3, 1894 . . .”

  “William Seward Hall. . .”

  “Kim sees his life as a legend . . .”

  “Guy Graywood arrived from New York . . .”

  “Kim spent three years in Paris . . .”

  “The guide traces the area on the map . . .”

  “So in what guise shall he return to the New World . . .”

  “Kim is heading north for Boulder . . .”

  From The Western Lands (selections) (1982–86):

  “The old writer lived in a boxcar by the river . . .”

  “Joe the Dead lowered the rifle . . .”

  “Neferti is eating breakfast. . .”

  “The Door Dog is a limited artifact. . .”

  “Consider the One God Universe . . .”

  “The Road to the Western Lands . . .”

  “Neferti is dropping his Ego, his Me . . .”

  “June 6, 1985. Friday. I am in Iran someplace . . .”

  “In present-day Egypt. . .”

  “The Land of the Dead: a long street with trees . . .”

  The Wishing Machine

  “It was a hectic, portentous time in Paris, in 1959 . . .”

  LATE WORK (1984–97)

  James Grauerholz: “Late Work”

  From The Cat Inside (selections) (1982–85)

  From My Education: A Book of Dreams (selections) (1986–94)

  James Grauerholz: “Epilogue”

  Selected Bibliography

  editor’s preface

  by ira silverberg

  Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader collects passages, routines, chapters, and condensations of the entire literary output of William S. Burroughs. While this is a rather formidable anthology, it only represents about 10 percent of Burroughs’ published work.

  We have attempted, through our selections, to follow recurring themes and characters in Burroughs’ work as well as to chronicle the shifts in style and content which took place throughout the years he wrote. The anthology is meant as much for the general reader as it is for the scholar, and provides links between Burroughs’ life and his writing through the chapter introductions written by James Grauerholz. Writer and scholar Ann Douglas’ introductory essay provides both an overview of the work and a history of the writer and his contemporaries.

  In choosing from almost fifty years of Burroughs’ work, we have focused our attention on his most memorable passages and the trademark “routines,” along with those which demonstrate a continuity of Burroughs’ vision. While stylistic changes took place over time, Burroughs had several literary, artistic, and political concerns which permeated his work. His lack of comfort with the human body, his mistrust of authority and control, his utopian visions, and his early themes of gay liberation are all to be found here. Throughout, one sees these concerns repeat, multiply, t
ake new shape, and adjust to the surroundings in which Burroughs places them. One also sees the formal and physical experimentation with the work—the cut-ups, the fold-ins, the collaborations.