William S Burroughs

William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely regarded as a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author known for his experimental novels featuring erratic prose, drug addiction, homosexuality, and nightmarish themes. Born into a wealthy family in St. Louis, he graduated from Harvard in 1936 but became a transgressive dropout, living nomadically in Mexico, North Africa, the UK, and elsewhere while struggling with heroin addiction and legal troubles, including the accidental killing of his wife Joan Vollmer in 1951. His breakthrough works include the confessional *Junkie* (1953) and landmark *Naked Lunch* (1959), influencing underground and popular culture.