Call Me Burroughs: A Life

This is an exhaustive, yet intimate portrayal of our most incredibly "outsider" author- sometimes associated with the Beat Generation (although Burroughs clearly did not relish the link himself), eventually a forerunner and grandfather of the Punks. As a fellow writer, and reader of many of his books, my favorite sections are about his writing "process," of which there are less details. The parts of the book in which Burroughs got into cut-ups, collages, journaling, techniques that combined other arts with writing; or his "Ugly Spirit," and Burroughs' methods of daily subversion: these spoke the most to me. Overall, Burroughs seems very sad, even desperate, and perhaps this is truly the modern (post-modern?) American artist at his "work?" Still, I am a major fan, and so grateful for the impact of reading this American original with the cold, blue gaze. I do recommend this new massive, throughly researched biography, Call Me Burroughs.

Riveting from the very beginning, with astonishing stories and vignettes, one after the other. Vivid descriptions of people, places, and events, all buoyed by quotes from the players, including Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Burroughs, and many others.

Barry Miles’ fascinating, easily readable biography of William Burroughs is detailed in its presentation, providing a remarkable portrait of the notorious rebel, writer, junky, and outlaw. From his earliest days as a well-to-do, if alienated boy in St. Louis, to his drug filled New York days as a Beat, following through the torturous path of the murder of his wife, Miles’ love for his subject beams. Although the book shows us the Burroughs who worked quite diligently at his writing, detailing his experiments with the cutup method, Miles is perhaps more interested in Burroughs the icon and celebrity than Burroughs the writer. For all his faults, one cannot help but admire his total approach to rejecting the moldings of American society, fraught as we was with self-absorption and juvenilia.

Many thanks to Barry Miles for this. Having read Ted Morgan's "Literary Outlaw" bio on Burroughs numerous times I awaited the release of this and was not let down. The opening chapter on a shaman ritual at Burroughs' Lawrence, KS house gives great weight to Burroughs' sentiments that "the Ugly Spirit" was indeed in him for most of his life and consequently created trials and adventures that Miles goes to great length to accumulate and write about in a detailed but far from plodding fashion. Miles had an advantage of getting a few more transformative years of Burroughs prior to his death researched as Morgan's book came out several years before. I recommend BOTH books though would rightfully suggest for chonological purposes the Morgan book first. It is clear Burroughs' last few years were spent surrendering to epiphanies and realizations that are break through conclusions in his life-long vision quest to find his place in the world (despite being shunned by his privelaged upbringing, Ivy League society, the military, etc.) and to get the full story at the finish line just makes the beauty and tragedy of Burroughs' complex life fighting the establishment and sacrificing himself to have a relatedness to "homosap" (as he would say) all the more satisfying. More than ever, "Smash The Control Machine". Thank you, Mr. Miles.

This is one of the most complete and thoroughly detailed biographies I have ever read. Vastly better than Literary Outlaw, the previous big Burroughs biography, which in itself was excellent. What greatly adds to the quality of the work is the author's deep empathy and understanding of Burroughs...you feel that you actually know him. Any fan of Burroughs should read this book.

An intriguing look at one of the oddest cult figures of our time. The author, Barry Miles, does a wonderful job describing and analyzing the various periods of Burroughs life and the individuals surrounding him. Burroughs was so strange that we struggle to understand who is was and Miles comes the closest. Wish there had been photos included in the book.

Here is the story of one of America's most neglected writers. His personal history always gave a certain hands-off attitude, particularly in his early days. This book is so complex, explores so many facets and exposes a man of great charity and kindness and a man who never stopped living and loving and acting precisely as he wanted to: day after day.

Ordered this from the library, but it was so dense and a well written book, so I decided I wanted to own it. The price was fair and it arrived quickly---