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Product Description
Product Description
William Burroughs’ work was dedicated to an assault upon language, traditional values and all agents of control. Produced at a time when he was at his most extreme and messianic, The Job lays out his abrasive, incisive, paranoiac, maddened and maddening worldview in interviews interspersed with stories and other writing. On the Beat movement, the importance of the cut-up technique, the press, Scientology, capital punishment, drugs, good and evil, the destruction of nations, Deadly Orgone Radiation and whether violence just in words is violence enough – Burroughs’ insights show why he was one of the most influential writers and one of the sharpest, most startling and strangest minds of his generation.
About the Author
William S. Burroughs was born on February 5, 1914 in St Louis. In work and in life Burroughs expressed a lifelong subversion of the morality, politics and economics of modern America. To escape those conditions, and in particular his treatment as a homosexual and a drug-user, Burroughs left his homeland in 1950, and soon after began writing. By the time of his death he was widely recognised as one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the twentieth century. His numerous books include Naked Lunch, Junky, Queer, Nova Express, Interzone, The Wild Boys, The Ticket That Exploded and The Soft Machine. After living in Mexico City, Tangier, Paris, and London, Burroughs finally returned to America in 1974. He died in 1997.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you think you can take Burroughs' words in an interview seriously... If you think this has all the answers, you're wrong. This is the most difficult book of Burroughs to interpret. Short texts, interspersed with a supposedly truthful person-to-person interview with everyone's favorite writer. Some of what he says in plain language is a godsend because it does clearly communicate a message. But beware all messages. His cut-up texts are reassuring to me because at least I know to perceive them as texts. But Burroughs hated to discuss his writing, and he loved to f*** with people. Discerning any sort of reality in this man's writing is difficult, be cautious. I detect numerous "lies" in this one, and I can see a great big smile on his face. I hope you smile too.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent compendium of Bill Burrough's interests and obsessions. Mostly focusing on the totalitarian nature of nation-states, The Job gives you all at once Burroughs being interviewed, Burroughs straight prose and Burroughs gobbledygook. He also explains--clearly--why his books are written the way they are. I don't know if I've ever learned so much--or at the very least had so many of my perceptions radically altered--from such a thin tome. Highly recommended.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The death of William S. Burroughs has left a huge gap in our world. The Job is a fascinating, thought provoking, and telling collection of interviews. His insights into politics, sexuality, and America are unique and intelligently spoken. While The Job is a must read for any Burroughs fan, I am sure that anyone could glean something from his words. Certain critics may find the opinions that Burroughs shared to be absurd. I believe that Burroughs was a man who genuinely cared about the future of humanity. His words in The Job are a testament to this. Perhaps it is the value system of America that is becoming more and more absurd. "All knowledge is yours by right."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Uncle Bill: Alien sage or deluded mad man?
Burroughs is a bizzare genius. His theories on America, time travel, and words as viruses are fascinating. Read more
Published on 31 July 1997
Weird insights, strange words
This is definately a book for the hardcore Burroughs fan. It is bizarre, held in a flippant "mad professor" style, but it is also very interesting - if you are of the... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 1997
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