William S. Burroughs Novelist
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: United States
- Born: Feb 5, 1914
- Died: Aug 2, 1997
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century". His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote 18 novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays. Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
He was born to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, grandson of the inventor and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, William Seward Burroughs I, and nephew of public relations manager Ivy Lee. Burroughs began writing essays and journals in early adolescence. He left home in 1932 to attend Harvard University, studied English, and anthropology as a postgraduate, and later attended medical school in Vienna.
Like all pure creatures, cats are practical.
pets
Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.
learning
The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.
education & knowledge
Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact.
change
There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.
society
Your knowledge of what is going on can only be superficial and relative.
knowledge
In deep sadness there is no place for sentimentality.
sadness
Happiness is a byproduct of function, purpose, and conflict those who seek happiness for itself seek victory without war.
happiness & war
Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape.
change & hope