William S[eward] Burroughs (b. 5 February 1914, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; d. 3 August 1997, Lawrence, Kansas, USA). American writer of experimental fiction, essays and autobiographical texts; mixed-media visual artist, experimental filmmaker and sound collagist.

Burroughs was born into an upper-middle-class Midwestern family shortly before the outbreak of World War I. His Yankee paternal grandfather helped to perfect the adding machine, while his Southern maternal uncle did public relations for John D. Rockefeller and Adolf Hitler; later, information technology, media manipulation and politico-economic despotism would be among the most regular targets of Burroughs’ aggressive satire. Through adolescence his emerging homose

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First published 21 March 2002

Citation: Murphy, Timothy S.. "William Burroughs". The Literary Encyclopedia. 21 March 2002.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=662, accessed 20 November 2009.]