Letters 1945-59

Burroughs was itinerant not just by disposition but often by legal necessity (his accidental, fatal shooting of his wife and constant drug troubles required regular relocation), so letters were lifelines for the outcast and works-in-progress for the writer. Here they track his turbulent journey across three continents and two decades, and through the underground scenes of Mexico City, New York and Tangier. Darkly humorous and scathingly perceptive in letters to friends like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac,

they also document the development of one of the most unique, influential voices in modern writing.

Edited with an Introduction by

Oliver Harris

‘These funny, filthy and terrifically smart letters reveal him in a way that no biographer can.’

New York Newsday