An edition of Junkie (1953)

Junky

50th anniversary ed.
  • 3.9 (12 ratings) ·
  • 69 Want to read
  • 5 Currently reading
  • 20 Have read

My Reading Lists:

Create a new list

Check-In

×Close
Add an optional check-in date. Check-in dates are used to track yearly reading goals.
Today

  • 3.9 (12 ratings) ·
  • 69 Want to read
  • 5 Currently reading
  • 20 Have read

Buy this book

Last edited by ImportBot
December 19, 2023 | History
An edition of Junkie (1953)

Junky

50th anniversary ed.
  • 3.9 (12 ratings) ·
  • 69 Want to read
  • 5 Currently reading
  • 20 Have read

"Before his 1959 breakthrough, Naked Lunch, an unknown William S. Burroughs wrote Junk, his first novel. It is a candid eye-witness account of times and places that are now long gone, an unvarnished field report from the American post-war underground." "Unafraid to portray himself in 1953 as a confirmed member of two socially-despised under classes (a narcotics addict and a homosexual), Burroughs was writing as a trained anthropologist when he unapologetically described a way of life - in New York, New Orleans, and Mexico City - that by the 1940's was already demonized by the artificial anti-drug hysteria of an opportunistic bureaucracy and a cynical, prostrate media."

"For this fiftieth-anniversary edition, eminent Burroughs scholar Oliver Harris has painstakingly recreated the author's original text, word by word, from archival typescripts and places the book's contents against a lively historical background in a comprehensive introduction. Here as well, for the first time, are Burroughs' own unpublished introduction and an entire omitted chapter, along with many "lost" passages, as well as auxiliary texts by Allen Ginsberg and others."--Jacket.

Publish Date
Publisher
Penguin Books
Language
English
Pages
166

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Junky
Junky
2003, Penguin Books
in English - 50th anniversary ed.
Cover of: Junky
Junky
1979, Penguin Books
in English
Cover of: Junkie
Junkie
1953, Ace Books
in English

Add another edition?

Book Details


Edition Notes

"The definitive text of "Junk."

Published in
New York
Genre
Fiction.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
813/.54
Library of Congress
PS3552.U75 J86 2003, PS3552.U75J86 2003

The Physical Object

Pagination
xxxix, 166 p. ;
Number of pages
166

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL3579090M
Internet Archive
junky0000burr
ISBN 10
0142003166
LCCN
2002193008
OCLC/WorldCat
455208813, 51086068
Library Thing
26134
Goodreads
23940

Work Description

A semi-autobiographical account, narrated in a matter-of-fact manner, of the author’s life as a drug addict. The story ranges from the backstreets of New York to a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kentucky, the bars of New Orleans and on to Mexico, recounting the difficulties of obtaining drugs, financial problems and homosexual encounters. Burroughs significantly stretched the boundaries of publishable material with his debut novel.

Community Reviews (0)

Feedback?
No community reviews have been submitted for this work.

History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
December 19, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 12, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 8, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 8, 2009 Created by ImportBot add works page