Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead (original 1971; edition 2007)by William S. Burroughs
Work InformationThe Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead by William S. Burroughs (1971)
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.
I used to think of this as the last of Burroughs' 5 cut-up novels. It's probably more appropriate to think of it as the 1st of the homoerotic adventure novels. Or something. Anyway, it's great! I read it when I was a research volunteer for a NASA study re space stn living. No shit. This was at the Phipps Clinic of Johns Hopkins University/Hospital in Baltimore. I was living in a simulated space stn environment for 15 days w/ 2 other guys. It was mainly an experiment in behavior modification designed to produce routines that wd prevent astronauts from going crazy in a restricted environment. I took "The Wild Boys" into the study w/ me particularly b/c of its anti-control theme. After the study was over, I was interviewed by a reporter for the Johns Hopkins Magazine (or some such). I remember talking about Duchamp & I probably sd a lotof things that were a bit too weird for Hopkins. This wd've been the 1st time I was ever interviewed. The article was squelched - perhaps this was an early instance of my being censored by the press? "The Wild Boys" is probably Burroughs's clearest novelistic depicition of feral revolutionaries. ( ) This is the best Burroughs work I've read so far. Of course, he is using his cut-up technique and the writing is somewhat difficult to follow, but there still seems to be a sense of something coherently effectuating itself (especially in terms of theme.) There is a lot of sex here, but it's like that primal urge is the thing that is dooming humanity in the first place. It was an eventful read and I'm glad I read it. 3.5 stars. Perhaps this short novel by William S. Burroughs should not be taken too seriously. It was a joy to read this orgiastic, erotic, playful and sometimes hard to follow story. The troupe of rebellious wild boys, defeating the CIA and army attack, cannot be accepted but with a smile. There is a lot that defies understanding, perhaps one should not try to understand everything. This naughty novel was written as early as 1969. Pure madness and joy. no reviews | add a review
Notable Lists
The Wild Boys is a futuristic tale of global warfare in which a guerrilla gang of boys dedicated to freedom battles the organized armies of repressive police states. Making full use of his inimitable humor, wild imagination, and style, Burroughs creates a world that is as terrifying as it is fascinating. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |