Call Me Burroughs: A Life Audio CD – Audiobook, January 28, 2014

Barry Miles has written a cultural biography of William Burroughs at an important moment. This clear-eyed, thoughtful book solidly rings out Burroughs' generation by placing him at the crossroads (and, sometimes, in the crosshairs) of the cultural moments he strides across. Here, also, is the ethos of post-war America that Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg helped create. Miles begins with the silent movie era of Burroughs' childhood in St. Louis amidst an ever-present and caring, but sometimes out-of-touch and emotionally distant, family group. Through these early relationships and, later, his restless wanderings among colleges which finally land him in New York City just before World War II, we are introduced to the way in which Burroughs builds up his writer's palette of images, but does not use them to further any sort of self-knowledge or significant prose for a number of years. The most engaging cultural moment to which Miles introduces us is New York City during the war. It's riveting, but it isn't pretty. Burroughs and his extended group of friends are not conventional in any way and it is their seeking after a "new vision," that leads, ultimately, to the language and culture of the Beats. This is a book lover's biography (not a literary biography, in the dry, academic sense) about a man in love with words, creatively drinking (and shooting up) and imagining his way through a maze of puritanical rules and mores, out the other side to something freer, less restrictive, dangerous in many ways. Burroughs and his Beat friends celebrated, denigrated, then tore down American society's twin gods -- wealth and prestige -- and replaced them, at least for themselves and those who came of age in the 1960s, with earthier elements. Sex is very important to Burroughs' story and Miles isn't prissy about describing the sex, both gay and straight, and the changing relationships within and on the fringes of the group. There is much tragedy within this tale of geniuses, misfits and dreamers and Miles tells it. The book is well-researched and told in a smooth prose style, utilizing Burroughs' own voice whenever possible. I wanted Burroughs' words in my head as I read about his life; so connected to each other, Kerouac finally got Burroughs to write and Burroughs got Kerouac to write better. I would not recommend this to the shy, retiring reader. There is every form of sex here, along with booze and meanness, crime and criminals, portrayed intimately in the glare of Burroughs' writer's lens. Burroughs needed to know everything and see it all. Barry Miles is hauling us along on that journey with him so we can better understand.

The first 300 or so pages are interesting as it chronicles the same material found in the highly readable Junky and Queer. The middle tome introduces a veritable white pages of male characters that flit in and out of Burroughs' life, made more complicated because so many seem to share the same name, and the author randomly identifies these male multitudes by first and last name, last name, or first name. The last 3-600 pages pick up again as the subject ages and there are less names to keep up with.At times, the book reads more as an appointment book or catalog. I would have liked to have seen more, I don't know, depth? Emotion? Motivating factors? While I certainly learned many, many, many facts about the prolific artist, I'm not so sure if I am any closer to understanding him. It seems as if there were opportunities for the author to delve deeper, but as soon as you think, ok, now we're going to get somewhere, Miles immediately yanks the reader back into superficial pages and pages of names and places.Overall though, a good read. Even if you're not a Burroughs groupie this biography gives a very good cultural overview that spans decades and continents.

This is an exhaustive, yet intimate portrayal of our most incredibly "outsider" author- sometimes associated with the Beat Generation (although Burroughs clearly did not relish the link himself), eventually a forerunner and grandfather of the Punks. As a fellow writer, and reader of many of his books, my favorite sections are about his writing "process," of which there are less details. The parts of the book in which Burroughs got into cut-ups, collages, journaling, techniques that combined other arts with writing; or his "Ugly Spirit," and Burroughs' methods of daily subversion: these spoke the most to me. Overall, Burroughs seems very sad, even desperate, and perhaps this is truly the modern (post-modern?) American artist at his "work?" Still, I am a major fan, and so grateful for the impact of reading this American original with the cold, blue gaze. I do recommend this new massive, throughly researched biography, Call Me Burroughs.

Wild Bill Burroughs is a really interesting fellow. You would expect his biography to be interesting, and his life story to be a bit weird, and you won't be disappointed. Like all biographies of great men there's parts of it that you connect to around amending facts of existence. And then there's stuff that onlyI genius like boroughs could have thought about written about and created. If you like william Burroughs' work or even if you're just interested in the era before, during, and after the Beat generation this is the book for you.

tons of information -- years of research by the estate -- but so much left out of it -- odd that certain living poets and publishers -- eg. Charley Plymell -- are not in the book at all. Gerard Malanga only in it once -- and none of his iconic photographs are used. Plymell and his CV Editions publishing worked with Burroughs on many projects, starting in 1964 or earlier. Not in the book at all. Certainly a must read, but again, no answers about why Miles or the estate left out certain people. Clearly a decision in a 700 page book which includes details such as William's dick length. (Short.) Since there will never be another biography on Burroughs, sad that it is seems purposely incomplete. Perhaps the estate had 'policies' ?

covers more ground & is more up-to-date than 'literary outlaw,' particularly when it comes to WSB's later years. both are essential for fans and scholars, but if i could only choose one, it would be this.

Very thorough and well done biography of William Burroughs. This should be the final word on Burroughs unless new facts come to light. But it won't be because these guys--Burroughs, Kerouac, Ginsberg--are catnip to biographers. Barry Miles is not awed or intimidated by his subject and does not glamorize or sugarcoat anything. Recommended.

A very detailed biography and no doubt the best on BUrroughs so far.

The best ever, most brilliant, right up close and in there with WSBurroughs ! All the big well-known themes are in this well-written 600-pg. bio. And access to WSB's papers has enabled veteran writer Barry Miles to produce a totally engaging volume. Miles writes: "He told Ginsberg that he became aware of the existence of "a benevolent sentient center to the whole Creation" that gave him the courage to dispassionately examine his entire life..." -- A remarkable deeper and more intimate picture of WSB is presented here than for us who only knew him by acquaintance casually and by some of his works or by some previously published biographical volumes. -- I was an ardent reader of his since 1980, and had the pleasure of attending one of his readings in Vancouver, British Columbia. His was a fine great artistic literary presence. -- Miles' bio also has some trenchant remarks regarding the novels, of course, and these comments are reinforced by WSB's own reflections on his literary work. -- This is a tremendous centennial publication, and every one of you interested in WSB specifically, or in great writers of the 20th century, will be enthralled with Barry Miles's "Call Me Burroughs".

Why does a Five Star review have a heading like Painful Read? The book is wonderfully written and engaging. Great job Barry Mills. However, the life of Bill Burroughs and his Beat Generation companions, moves, for three fourths of the book from disaster to disaster for him. Only in the latter part of his life does he seem to reach a sense of resolution. If you can't deal with counter culture, drugs and more drugs, alternative sexual orientations, guilt laden life, betrayal, off the track creativity and more in the raw, then find another book. But, if you can take the pain the book is a fantastic insight to the the arts and culture of the times. The descriptions of Tangiers in the 50's before the revolutions make one wish for more places in the world like that and can see why it attracted so many creative people.

This is an exhaustively researched biography (often sexually graphic -- wouldn't you?) commissioned, endorsed and researched by the estate. I've been a fan of this man's writing for 20 years and there's a lot here I didn't know and a lot of questions where answered. I doubt there's such a thing as a 'definitive' biography (so don't throw out your Ted Morgan's Literary Outlaw) but this is a must read.

Over fifty tears ago I started reading a book which began with the words, "I can feel the heat closing in, feel them out there making their moves, setting up their devil doll stool pigeons, crooning over my spoon and dropper I throw away at Washington Square Station, vault a turnstile and two flights down the iron stairs, catch an uptown A train...." and it was clear to me that I would have to know as much as I could about the writer who had recorded his travels through such nightmare neighbourhoods as none of us can have imagined. William Burroughs became a living mystery phantom whose words transported me away into worlds I could not have imagined. I wanted to know all I could about this man and now I can, thanks to Barry Miles and his new biography of this genius and his life and work.Miles's book is the fine-toothed comb all Burroughs fiends have waited for these many years. This is a hugely important work, and spans Burroughs's life from beginning to Omega. It is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive and brilliantly written of the works thus far published on Burroughs, the seminal tome of Burroughsiana, the reference book for all those post-grads who, seized by the grappling hook of his brilliance, are even now writing dissertations on the Hombre Invisible, a seeker who never quit looking.For anyone curious about the naissance of the beat generation and its legacy, this is the boneroo Britannica on the subject. Buy it and read it or steal it from a friend; just get it inside you, and enjoy the ride. Squares beware.Ken Weaver

Ottimo libro, dettagliato e ricco di notizie, scritto magistralmente bene come Miles ha sempre fatto.Lo consiglio a tutti gli appasionati di Burroughs e della Beat Generation

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