I first saw Bill Burroughs in 1953, passing along a back street of Tangier in the rain. He was on H at the time, and he didn’t look very fit.

– Paul Bowles

The Burroughs File by William Burroughs @ Bookshop

Quotes

The Doctor on stage and so it all ended. “Yes, you have been a very sick uh whatever, Mr. and Mrs. D, and all those things you thought you wanted-power, junk, money, control… you didn’t want them. Not really. Just look out the window: sunlight on an old wall. A very old wall. It was a long time ago and nothing here now. All the old Halloween masks are in a St. Louis ash pit. Dead smoke of an unfinished cigarette. Sure you said a lot of things you didn’t mean. But that won’t happen again. You see, I cancel all your words forever. You will never have to be sorry for what you say again. Because you won’t say anything. No more is written. I do my work, pack my bag and go. Cross all your skies see my Rx: SILENCE.

Some character takes a bang of heroin for the first time. It takes maybe sixty consecutive shots before I can welcome another addict. (Room for one more inside, sir).

“This blood I created in disaster I cancel HERE. Hand far away abandoned film. Have definitely changed lots. The ‘reservation’ is back from Hell. Sabbah as also cancels the disaster weapons broken twisted in the mirror. Coat on a bench the price you paid. All your words forever exploded at his touch.”

when you were on the junk yourself sure you knew you had to kick some time but you said: ‘Premature. Premature. Give me a little more junk a little more time.’ Time is junk. Junk is time moving at the speed of light.

“No one owns life,” says Burroughs, “but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.”