[sonicl]

Wow! No-one's mentioned Hunter S Thompson yet!

Oh, hang on... I have.

[fishmonkey]

Originally Posted by jon boy

burroughs is a literary god.

here here, quite right.

[demonrail666]

I never got beyond about a third of Underworld. The opening chapter at the baseball game is amazing but after that ... left me cold.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

burroughs contribution was, well, the coks & spurts & turds-- which are fine actually but don't carry a whole novel very well. the problem with reading only things published in the past 50 years is that one loses perspective in a huge way.

I think it's fair to say that (at least in terms of style) Burroughs wasn't the first at most of what he did. He's often discussed as a pinnacle of postmodernist writing, which sort of celebrates that anyway. However, I think he's best looked at as a sci-fi author that, along with P.K.D. and J.G. Ballard, managed to transform the genre in such a way that allowed it to ultimately transcend its origins.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by foxforce5

If you can give one example to substantiate that statement I will buy you milkshake. Or, admit the line doesn't make a whole lot of sense and I'll give you a coupon for a milkshake.

It doesn't really make a lot of sense, no. Reading Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas just reminded me of Pynchon for some reason...only not as good.

[Torn Curtain]

Wirginia Woolf (or at least To the lighthouse, I really hated it, I found it utterly boring).
I also hated Dickens' Great expectations (but maybe that's too English for me to get into it).

[tesla69]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Burroughs is the only core member of the Beats that hasn't dated. All the others were great at reflecting their time but Burroughs (with the possible exception of Hubert Selby Jnr) still reads like he was writing five minutes ago.

I'd have to add Huncke and Trocchi to your list..

the poster who talked about how Shakespeare balked at poetry as sunbeams and rainbows - I think Burroughs did the same thing in the 50's. It was all country clubs and daisies then

[demonrail666]

Agree about Trocchi. Not sure I've heard of Huncke though - one to check out.

[tesla69]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Not sure I've heard of Huncke though - one to check out.

Huncke was THE Original Beat! he introduced Burroughs to narcotics and was a fixture on the Times Square hustle scene...an unrepetant junkie he was getting high up until he died. Jerry Garcia helped him out at the end. there are basically 2 books he left us with, a collected works and an autobiography, very careful, clear style.

[cagedbird]

THE BERKELEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 USA
Penguin Group

[Jt]

Originally Posted by Torn Curtain

Wirginia Woolf (or at least To the lighthouse, I really hated it, I found it utterly boring).
I also hated Dickens' Great expectations (but maybe that's too English for me to get into it).

Would it be fair to say Great Expectations wasn't what you hoped for?

Originally Posted by sonicl

Wow! No-one's mentioned Hunter S Thompson yet!

Oh, hang on... I have.

He bores me to tears.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I think it's fair to say that (at least in terms of style) Burroughs wasn't the first at most of what he did. He's often discussed as a pinnacle of postmodernist writing, which sort of celebrates that anyway. However, I think he's best looked at as a sci-fi author tha [...] managed to transform the genre in such a way that allowed it to ultimately transcend its origins.

yes he may best be looked that way but not here-- i mean here (on the sonic youth board) you'd think the man single-handedly invented language, or something. mostly everybody here who's into constantly getting high has appointed burroughs as their literary superstar... with hunter s. thompson as a close 2nd. hence my choice for over-rated.

[Massenvernichtungswaffen]

I agree Hunter S. Thompson is rather boring. I like his content and I like what he's done, what he stood for, and what he tried to relay to the public. However, I've been trying to read "the rum diary" for over a year now. Just can't get into it.

[cagedbird]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

yes he may best be looked that way but not here-- i mean here (on the sonic youth board) you'd think the man single-handedly invented language, or something. mostly everybody here who's into constantly getting high has appointed burroughs as their literary superstar... with hunter s. thompson as a close 2nd. hence my choice for over-rated.

!@#$%!, you are making my impressionable mind think that the sonic youth
board is a william burroughs board. where do you see this affinity for
burroughs?

Lack of imagination.

[gmku]

Matthew, John, Luke, Paul, et al... Man, they screwed up the Good Book royally.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by cagedbird

!@#$%!, you are making my impressionable mind think that the sonic youth
board is a william burroughs board. where do you see this affinity for
burroughs?

every time there's been a poll asking about favorite writers you get maybe 50% of respondents going "burroughs maaaaaaaan...." now, im not sure all who claim this have actually read him, but yes, he's pretty popular.

[Massenvernichtungswaffen]

Burroughs is disturbing. Who wants to read about people's assholes talking to them or sex with young men?

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

everybody here who's into constantly getting high has appointed burroughs as their literary superstar... with hunter s. thompson as a close 2nd.

and William Gibson and P. K. Dick finishing strongly in 3rd and 4th place.