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Good bio
Definitive exploration of writing life
written by Burroughs' best friend?

William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible
Barry Miles
Manufacturer: Virgin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Letters of William S. Burroughs: Volume I: 1945-1959
The Job: Interviews with William S. Burroughs
Burroughs Live: The Collected Interview of Wiliam S. Burroughs, 1960-1997 (Double Agents)
With William Burroughs: A Report From the Bunker
Interzone

ASIN: 0753507072

Book Description

William Burroughs remains one of the most complex and controversial American writers of the twentieth century. A long-time heroin addict, he preferred to live abroad, away from America's draconian drug laws. After killing his wife in a bizarre shooting accident, he moved to Tangier where he lived in a male brothel and wrote Naked Lunch. He also lived in London and Paris before returning to New York in 1974. Following his death in 1997, Barry Miles, a friend for over thirty years, has completely updated his riveting biography of this literary guerilla and tormented visionary.

Customer Reviews:

Good bio.......2006-04-05

This seems to be a good introduction to the life and times of Bill Burroughs. I've read little of Burroughs' works, so I am not one to judge his overall literary merits. I have only read two-thirds of "Cities of the Red Night," which I found to be confusing to the point of being unreadable. I realize, however, that this only touches a tiny bit of Burroughs' output. With difficult authors like Burroughs, I sometimes become more interested in the life of the author, and less interested in his/her works. If this is you, then this book is for you. Here, Miles (Allen Ginsberg) covers Bill Burroughs from birth to death. There's plenty of interesting detail on Burroughs as the sensitive, withdrawn, homosexual youth, more on his years overseas with Ginsberg, Gysin, Kerouac, Bowles, and others, plus a nice wrap up with Burroughs in Kansas. Miles pulls no punches, at once painting Burroughs as a genius, and again as a serious drug addict who would spend hours doing nothing but staring at the tips of his shoes. Miles does a good job of explaining the genesis of many of Burroughs' works, and the odd ways in which they were assembled. Recommended.

Definitive exploration of writing life.......2002-10-25

This was the first biography of Burroughs I read; I also have the Ted Morgan biography, but I don't think a direct qualitative comparison is possible. While Morgan goes into enormous biographical detail, Miles puts Burroughs' work in central position, and his analyses are really perceptive and thorough, with demonstrative use of passages from the text as well as references to relevant events in Burroughs' life. It is, as other reviewers have said, really the best existing introduction to Burroughs' work - I don't know if I could have made it through the cut-up trilogy without the preparation of reading this book first.

I should also point out that some biographical details are here which are not in Morgan, e.g. the use of real names where Morgan substituted pseudonyms.

written by Burroughs' best friend?.......2002-01-12

Miles' biography is intended for the general reader. There is good background on Burroughs' childhood, a good bit of biographical detail throughout, and the book doesn't delve into the written works all too deeply. Being one of three general biographies written about Burroughs, it bears comparing to the books by Ted Morgan and Graham Caveney. Miles' book is not as scholarly or exhaustive as Morgan's book, Literary Outlaw, but is both more scholarly and more exhaustive than Caveney's, Gentleman Junkie. It was written after Literary Outlaw, so there is more information on the Kansas years here, including a chapter entitled "Shotgun Art".

This is a biography intended for a general readership. Miles' familiarity with his subject may make this of interest even to the Burroughs beginner. There is a bibliography of works written by Burroughs (but none about him), and an index.

Miles seems to be Burroughs' biggest fan. This is not a critical appraisal of Burroughs OR his works. At times the writing is very bad. Still, Miles had the advantage of a fascinating subject.

If you haven't read a book about Burroughs before, read Literary Outlaw, by Ted Morgan, and pass this one up.

ken32

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William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible
Barry Miles
Manufacturer: Virgin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Catalogue Eight William S. Burroughs: The Hombre Invisible

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Catalogue Eight William S. Burroughs: The Hombre Invisible
William S. Burroughs
Manufacturer: Atticus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NA9DFK

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William Burroughs El Hombre Invisible
Barry Miles
Manufacturer: LITTLE BROWN & CO @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q1LT9O

William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.: An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction

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William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.: An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction
Brooke Horvath
Manufacturer: Review of Contemporary Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on March 22, 1994. The length of the article is 478 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.
Author: Brooke Horvath
Publication: The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1994
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: v14 Issue: n1 Page: p236(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.(Brief Article): An article from: World Literature Today

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William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.(Brief Article): An article from: World Literature Today
Michael Leddy
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on March 22, 1994. The length of the article is 472 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible.(Brief Article)
Author: Michael Leddy
Publication: World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1994
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: v68 Issue: n2 Page: p377(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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William Burroughs el hombre invisible
Miles Barry
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYHJPO

William S. Burroughs: The hombre invisible

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William S. Burroughs: The hombre invisible
William S Burroughs
Manufacturer: Atticus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006XTI5O

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William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible
Barry Miles
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQH2ZC

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Catalogue
Ralph Cook
Manufacturer: Atticus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006XS63O

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