The Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas
Zoomicon-zoom-in
The Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas

The Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas

By
Rob Johnson (Author)  

Paperback

Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks

Quantity
The sometimes raunchy, often legally dubious New York and Mexican exploits of William S. Burroughs, one of the godfathers of the ""Beat"" generation, are well known. Less familiar are his experiences in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, where for several years he was a cotton farmer (while avoiding the law in New York). This intriguing chapter in the famous author's life is thoroughly recounted for the first time in Rob Johnson's new book. From 1946 to 1949, Bill Burroughs prepared himself for the writing of his first books by, among other pursuits, raising marijuana and opium poppies and entertaining Beat visitors such as Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady at his farm in New Waverly, Texas. Less known, though, are stories about his other farm, a ""serious"" fifty-acre spread, in the Valley near Edinburg, described in the 1977 edition of ""Junky"". Here, he raised legal crops such as cotton, carrots, and peas. Other Beat writers move casually in and out of the narrative, which includes the ""William Tell"" episode in Mexico in which Burroughs fatally shot his wife, who had placed a drink glass on her head as a target. 11 b&w photos, index
  • Contributor: Rob Johnson
  • Imprint: Texas A & M University Press
  • ISBN13: 9781585445479
  • Number of Pages: 216
  • Format: Paperback
  • Publisher: Texas A & M University Press
  • Release Date: 2006-05-30
  • Binding: Paperback / softback

Delivery Options

Home Delivery

Store Delivery

Free Returns

We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.