William S. Burroughs (Writer and Artist)
Full Name: William Seward Burroughs II
Profession: Writer and Artist
Biography: One of the primary figures of the Beat Generation the post-war counterculture literary movement that included Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac.
Burrough's drug addiction is reflected in his work and dominated his life. After killing his wife in a supposed "William Tell" game he went on to publish his most famous work "Naked Lunch" first published in Paris in 1959. The book was initially banned in various places around the world in the 1960s.
In later life Burroughs became a well known visual artist.
Born: February 5, 1914
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Tiger
Star Sign: Aquarius
Died: August 2, 1997 (aged 83)
Cause of Death: Complications from a heart attack
Career Highlights
- 1966-07-07 Obscenity ban for "Naked Lunch" by William S. Burroughs overturned by the Massachusetts Supreme Court after testimony by Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer
- 1990-03-31 Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, and William S. Burroughs' avant garde opera "The Black Rider" premieres March 31, 1990 at the Thalia Theater, Hamburg, Germany
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