- Capitalism and Alternatives -

The Dope on Burroughs (or Talkin' Modern Literature with Frenchy)

Posted by: Stoller on October 31, 1999 at 18:23:57:

In Reply to: To obscure socialist history in favor of accuracy. posted by Frenchy on October 28, 1999 at 01:03:10:


: Burroughs, oh yeah, the guy who put a bullet in his wife's head as a bar room gag. Another of your cultural heroes?

Burroughs does not reward easy categorization, but I'd say that he could be called a Left libertarian with some justification.

His metaphor of the Johnstons (Place of Dead Roads, 1984) was, put simply, leave us alone and we'll give you the same respect.

He famously shot his wife at a cocktail party in the early 1950s. She was a willing partner in the William Tell routine they had performed for their friends several times before. Please consider the above paragraph in this context, please.

Burroughs' famous love of handguns (see 1987Rolling Stone interview), on the other hand, suggests to some that he also has relevance as an outlaw-hero of Right libertarianism...

Not that Burroughs is going to be pinned down any time soon!

Now, I am certainly no libertarian---for reasons stated here.

I quote Burroughs on occasion (from the 'trilogy'), however, because many of his texts are classic---and comical---revolutionary utterances.

And just to show off that I'm a well-read guy...

Your turn.





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