Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs
- ISBN-10
- 0007128797
- ISBN-13
- 9780007128792
- Series
- Last Words
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2001-05
- Author
- William S. Burroughs
Description
'Well, I guess it's time for my Ovaltine and a long good night.'William Burroughs died in August 1997, after a lifetime of notoriety. In his final years, he was writing only in his journals. The last none months of his diaries are here, in Last Words, and they form a complex, rarely seen, personal portrait of Burroughs at the end of his life, coming to terms with ageing and death. Although well into his eighties, the man we see is nevertheless the same old Burroughs, still riling against the Establishment, still contemptuous of the state of the human race, still shocking, bleak and very funny. Full of anecdotes and memories, entries on the joys of housekeeping, dealing with doctors, shooting a video with U2, musings on his beloved cats, drug-taking and government cover-ups, Last Words shows us a man reflective but still engaged with the state of the world. Most significantly, these journals contain some of the most brutally personal prose Burroughs has ever written. His thoughts on the deaths of his friends Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary provide a window onto the preparations Burroughs was making for his own death ? a quest for absolution marked by a profound sense of guilt and loss. Last Words is unlike anything else in the oeuvre of William Burroughs. It is the purest, most personal work ever presented by this writer, and a poignant portrait of the man, his life and his creative process ? one that never quit, even in the shadow of death.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History
By Karl S. GuthkeChristian,” supposedly the parting shot of Casanova, of all people.8 There is controversy even about the all-but-sacrosanct wording, though not the sentiment, of Nathan Hale's universally known words pronounced under the gallows, ...
-
Famous Last Words: The Ultimate Collection of Finales and Farewells
By Laura WardClosing words of the will of the English composer Henry Purcell ( d . 1695 ) It is my intention to make no provision herein for my son Christopher or my daughter Christina for reasons which are well known to them .
-
Last Words of Notable People: Final Words of More Than 3500 Noteworthy People Throughout History
By William B. BrahmsMany Internet lists and books have endeavored to collect "last words," however these works almost exclusively do not cite historic or vetted sources for the majority of the quotations and many of the "reputed" last words are doubtful, ...
-
Last Words of Jesus: First Steps to a Richer Life
By Stu Epperson Jr.Readers will experience a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ thorough examination of what Jesus said, why He said it, and how His powerful words continue to change lives forever.
-
Last Words of Saints and Sinners: 700 Final Quotes from the Famous, the Infamous, and the Inspiring Figures of History
By Herbert LockyerThis collection of 700 quotes includes the last words of commoners, atheists, poets, and politicians along with noted Christians and martyrs. Ready reference source for the pastor or public speaker.
-
Last Words
By Michael KorytaPrivate investigator Mark Novak is still mourning the death of his wife, and it's affecting his work. With his future on the line, Mark is sent to check out a...
-
Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs
By William S. BurroughsLast Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs is the most intimate book ever written by William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch and one of the most celebrated literary outlaws of our time.
-
Last Words from Montmartre
By Qiu MiaojinUnfolding through a series of letters written by an unnamed narrator, Last Words tells the story of a passionate relationship between two young women—their sexual awakening, their gradual breakup, and the devastating aftermath of their ...
-
Last Words of the Executed
By Robert K. ElderExecuted August 29, 1933 Hoffman did not want his eighty-two-year-old mother to know that her son was a murderer, so he told her that he was in California. An unidentified person told Mrs. Hoffman the truth in time for her to visit ...
-
The Last Words We Said
By Leah ScheierNine months after Danny disappeared, his closest friends, Ellie, Rae, and Deenie, deal with their loss very differently but will have to share secrets about the night he disappeared to uncover the truth.