American writer of experimental novels, who has lived long times in Mexico City, Tanger, Paris and London. Burroughs' homosexual themes in THE NAKED LUNCH (1959) and the frankness with which he dealt with his own experiences as a drug addict sparkled an obscenity trial in U.S., but won him a following among writers, musicians and film makers.

Burroughs was born in St. Louis, Mo. He was born into a successful business family, and graduated in English literature from Harvard University in 1936. However, he rejected his background, and plunged into an alternative life-style that included drugs - he became addicted to heroin - odd jobs, and bisexuality.

In the mid-1940s Burroughs befriended with Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, with whom he would be linked as key figures in the Beat Movement. He was named in Kerouac' s novel On the Road as Old Bull Lee. In 1951 Burroughs killed his second wife Joan Vollmer wife accidently in Mexico, where they were shooting in the Wilhelm Tell style. Their son William Burroughs III died at the age of 32 from drink and drug abuse.

In 1959 published The Naked Lunch, a far-reaching cultural vision, for which addiction is a metaphor, is now accepted as a modern classic. The book consists of twenty-one satirical pieces that purport to lay bare the horrors of reality: hence the title. It was first published by Olympia Press in Paris. The nighmarish plunge into the mind of junk addict contains large elements of science fiction and biological fantasy.

The search of homosexual and pharmaceutifal freedom has led Burroughs across the world. He wandered through the Amazon region of South America for the drug yage, and recorded his experiences in THE YAGE LETTERS, which was published in 1963.

In his works Burroughs developed with painter Brion Gysin a 'cut-up' method that employed cutting and blending several random texts into one hybrid narrative. He began writing in the 1930s, but his first book, JUNKIE: CONFESSION OF AN UNREDEEMED DRUNG ADDICT, was published in 1953 under the pen name William Lee. The Naked Lunch was completed after his treatment for drug addiction. Other works include THE SOFT MACHINE (1961), NOVA EXPRESS (1964), THE WILD BOYS (1971) and THE WESTERN LANDS (1987).

Material for his novels Burroughs borrowed from all areas of popular culture. In science fiction his influence can be seen in the works of J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, John T. Sladek, Norman Spinard and others. Overt pastiches of his works include Barrington J. Bayley's The Four-Color Problem (1971) and Philip José Farmer's The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod (1968).

Burroughs have also appeared in films. In Drugstore Cowboy he acted Matt Dillon's elder brother, and novel The Naked Lunch was adapted to screen by David Cronenberg. His later films include Twister and U2 music video Last Night on Earth. He has also recorded with Laurie Anderson, Kurt Cobain and Michael Stipe. Burroughs has been awarded the honour of inventing the term "heavy metal".

His last years Burroughs spent in Kansas with his cats and firearms.

For further reading: William Burroughs: The Algebra of Need by Eric Mottram (1977); Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burrougs by Ted Morgan (1988); Everything is Permitted: The Making of 'Naked Lunch' (1992), ed. Ira Silverberg

Selected works:

• JUNKIE, 1953 - (unexpurgated version in 1977) see also Nelson Algren's novel The Man with the Golden Arm
• THE NAKED LUNCH, 1959 - film 1991, dir. by David Cronenberg, starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis - the story about a drug-addicted writer who kills his wife accidentally and flees to his paranoid fantasies
• EXTERMINATOR, 1960 (with B. Gysin)
• MINUTES TO GO, 1960 (with S. Beiles, G. Corso, B. Gysin)
• THE SOFT MACHINE, 1961
• THE TICKET THAT EXPLODED, 1962
• THE YAGE LETTERS, 1963 (with Allen Ginsberg)
• DEAD FINGERS TALK, 1963
• ROOSEVELT AFTER INAUGURATION, 1964 (as Willy Lee)
• NOVA EXPRESS, 1964
• WHITE SUBWAY, 1965
• TIME, 1965
• HEALTH BULLETIN, 1965
• EXTERMINATOR!, 1967
• SO WHO OWNS DEATH TV, 1967 (with C. Pelieu, C. Weisser)
• THEY DO NOT ALLWAYS REMEMBER, 1968
• ALI'S SMILE, 1969
• THE DEATH STAR, 1969
• JOB, 1969 (with D. Odier)
• THE LAST WORDS OF DUTCH SCHULTZ, 1970
• ELECTRONIC REVOLUTION 197071, 1971
• THE WILD BOYS, 1971
• EXTERMINATOR!, 1973
• PORTS OF SAINTS, 1973
• BRION GYSIN LET THE MICE IN, 1973
• EXTERMINATOR!, 1973
• WHITE SUBWAY, 1973
• THE BOOK OF BREATHING, 1974
• SNACK, 1975 (with E. Mottram)
• THE RETREAT DIARIES, 1976
• COBBLE STONE GARDENS, 1976
• NAKED SCIENTOLOGY, 1978
• BLADERUNNER: A MOVIE, 1979 (nothing to do with the film)
• AH, POOK IS HERE AND OTHER TEXTS, 1979
• COLLOQUE DE TANGER, 1979 (with B. Gysin)
• LETTERS TO ALLEN GINSBERG, 1981
• CITIES OF THE RED NIGHT, 1981
• EARLY ROUTINES, 1981
• CITIES OF THE RED NIGHT, 1981
• SIDETRIPPING, 1982
• THE PLACE OF DEAD ROADS, 1984
• THE BURROUGHS FILE, 1984
• FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, 1984
• QUEER, 1985
• THE ADDING MACHINE, 1985
• THE PIANOPLAYERS, 1986
• ROUTINE, 1987
• WESTERN LANDS, 1987
• APOCALYPSE, 1988 (with K. Haring)
• THE CAT INSIDE, 1988 (with B. Gysin)
• WILLIAM BUROUGHS: PAINTING, 1988
• PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS, 1988
• INTRZONE, 1989
• TORNADO ALLEY, 1989