Junky (Essential Penguin): Amazon.co.uk: William S Burroughs: Books

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William S. Burroughs

Oliver Harris

Product Description

'Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life.'

William Burroughs, legendary drug addict, founder member of the Beats and author of Naked Lunch, relates with unflinching realism the highs and lows of mainlining smack, from initial heroin bliss to dependency, the horrors of cold turkey and back again.

About the Author

William S. Burroughs is the author of numerous works, including Junky, Naked Lunch, Interzone, The Cat Inside and the trilogy consisting of Cities of the Red Night, The Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

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First Sentence
My first experience with junk was during the War, about 1944 or 1945. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Queasy semi-autobiography of legendary literary drug fiend, 22 Nov 2000

By

t.welch@virgin.net (Nottingham) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Junky (Audio CD)

Burrough's account of life as a heroin user really comes to life in spoken word form, as the author's reptilian diction wrings every last drop of croaked and strung-out junk sickness from the page.

Notorious for accidentally shooting his wife dead in Mexico during a crazy William Tell routine, William Burroughs is the author of countless books, most of which are largely unreadable, aside from his two early semi-autobiographical works, 'Queer', and 'Junky', which recount his experiences as a homosexual drug user during a time in America when being either of these things was to be a social leper.

A disturbing, yet occasionally humourous tale of a life lived at the more bizarre extremes of experience, 'Junky' is essential listening for anyone interested in either the Beat Generation or drug culture, and is a good starting point for Burroughs novices.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique & Compelling, 3 May 2002

By

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)

This review is from: Junky (Essential Penguin) (Paperback)

Burroughs’ writing here is a unique and successful blend of autobiography and detached journalism, unprecedented for that time. The prologue gives Junky an air of authenticity from the outset as the author briefly describes his childhood before plunging into this narrative of a journey – teeming with colorful low-life characters - from the Midwest to New York to Texas to New Orleans, a farm in the Rio Grande Valley, & finally Mexico in his relentless pursuit of the heroin trip.
There is a certain aloofness in the style, giving the reader the impression that you’re only witness to a restricted part of the protagonist’s experiences. For example, the text makes vague references to his wife who obviously journeyed and indulged with him, but no more is told of her, poor Joan. Although “Queer’, which is a more rounded novel, filled in many pieces of the jigsaw, it was only upon reading Ellis Ambrose’s “The Subterranean Kerouac,” that this novel finally made sense and I began to see a fuller picture of Burroughs, his wife and their contemporaries. Anyway, this is a piece of brilliant writing on many levels. The book concludes with a glossary of “junk lingo” or “jive talk” – so that’s what the BeeGees were singing about?

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of the early Beats, 6 April 2002

By

J. Evans "dequincey" (Cardiff, Wales) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Junky (Essential Penguin) (Paperback)

Junky is William Burroughs's first novel, and one of his most important....Don't let the first person narrative fool you, this is not an autobiography in any usual sense. Burroughs himself described it as a 'travel book.'
Unlike the cut-up novels this novel easily engages the reader. There is a narrative, even if there is no narrative development towards a repentant self realsation that would be expected in a confessional novel.
If you have read On the Road then you'll appreciate Junky.
If you have read Naked Lunch then this might come as something of a surprise. But don't berate the book for that. It might not deconstruct a logical narrative development. Or for that matter it doesn't deconstruct the liberal humanist individual. But it does reveal Burroughs the genius....
If you are familiar with Burroughs allready then Junky is well worth buying.
And if you aren't... buy this book. You'll never look at eye droppers the same way after reading this.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bravura performance
I thought this was a fairly accurate representation of addiction (having lived with an addict myself). Read more

Published 23 days ago by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley