The Adding Machine: Selected Essays
by William S. Burroughs
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Acclaimed by Norman Mailer more than twenty years ago as "possibly the only American writer of genius," William S. Burroughs has produced a body of work unique in our time. In these scintillating essays, he writes wittily and wisely about himself, his interests, his influences, his friends and foes. He offers candid and not always flattering assessments of such diverse writers as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Samuel show more Beckett, and Marcel Proust. He ruminates on science and the often dubious paths into which it seems intent on leading us, whether into outer or inner space. He reviews his reviewers, explains his famous "cut-up" method, and discusses the role coincidence has played in his life and work. As satirist and parodist, William Burroughs has no peer, as these varied works, written over three decades, amply reveal. show lessTags
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Scintillating essays about the author himself, his interests, his influences, his friends and foes. He offers candid and not always flattering assessments of other writers. He ruminates on science and the often dubious paths into which it seem intent on leading us, whether into outer or inner space. Burroughs reviews his reviewers, explains his famous "cup-up" method, and discusses the role coincidence has played in his life and his work.
Ah, yes, "The Job", "The Third Mind", &, then, this. Probably my least favorite of the 3 but still great. If it were written by anyone else it wd've automatically gotten 5 stars, but this is Burroughs & in comparison to some others of his own it's a tad less exciting. Just a tad, mind you, just a tad. Perspicacious.
a peek into one of the most fascinating minds of the 20th century
First read: 1999.
Reread: 2017.
Reread: 2017.
(Currently reading)
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Author Information
364+ Works 38,962 Members
William S. Burroughs was a primary figure of the Beat Generation who wrote in the postmodern paranoid fiction genre. Jack Kerouac called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift," while Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius." While he is best known for the novels Naked show more Lunch, Queer, and Junkie, he also collaborated with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Gus Van Sant, David Cronen-berg, and Sonic Youth to produce films, music, and performance pieces. show less
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- Members
- 347
- Popularity
- 90,575
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.89)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 8
