William Burroughs is mostly known as a writer. He was a member of the Beat Generation — a literary group of American existentialist authors who advocated freedom of expression in the mid-1940s. Burroughs was friends with many famous contemporaries, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. He knew Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, and Susan Sontag, who introduced him to the New York circle of artists. He wrote 28 books — novels, collections of stories and essays. “He joins a small group of daredevils, led by Dante, who dare to look into hell and report what they have seen there, ” critics wrote about Burroughs.
Both in literature and in painting, Burroughs opposed classical, traditional forms of expression. For example, he often deliberately violated the lexical and grammatical rules. For example, the very title of the painting “Long Time Take to See” is grammatically incorrect. In his paintings, he strove to convey strong, unrestrained emotions.
Both in literature and in painting, Burroughs opposed classical, traditional forms of expression. For example, he often deliberately violated the lexical and grammatical rules. For example, the very title of the painting “Long Time Take to See” is grammatically incorrect. In his paintings, he strove to convey strong, unrestrained emotions.
