
William S. Burroughs
Department: Writing
Biography
William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays, and five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences; he was initially briefly known by the pen name William Lee. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, made many appearances in films, and created and exhibited thousands of visual artworks, including his celebrated "Shotgun Art". Description above from the Wikipedia article William S. Burroughs, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For

Chappaqua
1966

FLicKeR
2009

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
2010

Take Your Pills
2018

Relics: Einstein's Brain
1994

Bloodhounds of Broadway
1989

Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees
1991

Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles
1999

The Final Academy Documents
1984

Decoder
1984

September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill
1994

Twister
1989

Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press
2008

William Buys a Parrot
1963

The Junky's Christmas
1993

Ornette: Made in America
1986

Glitterbug
1994

Condo Painting
2000

Bill and Tony
1972

Towers Open Fire
1963

The Cut-Ups
1966

Ghost at No. 9
1982

Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson
1986

The Source
1999

William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers
1991

Thanksgiving Prayer
1991

Destroy All Rational Thought
1998

Coda I
2013

Coda I + Coda II
2013

Naked Making Lunch
1992

Shamans of the Blind Country
1981

Fried Shoes Cooked Diamonds
1979

For No Good Reason
2012

Wanderlust
2006

Fix: The Ministry Movie
2011

Ah Pook Is Here.
1994

The Beat Hotel
2012

Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious
2022

Underground and Emigrants
1976

Pantelia
2006

Burroughs: The Movie
1984

Chelsea Hotel
1981

Pirate Tape
1983

Energy and How to Get It
1981

Une semaine dans la vie de camarades
1976

Witchcraft Through the Ages
1968

Drugstore Cowboy
1989

Thot-Fal'N
1978

Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs On the Road
2007

William S. Burroughs: The Possessed
2015

Cain's Film
1969

Nova Express
2009

Don't Blink - Robert Frank
2015

The Battle for 'I Am Curious-Yellow'
2003

Poetry in Motion
1982

This Song for Jack
1983

Heavy Petting
1989

Poem Posters
1967

It Don't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen
1985

The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
1999

Robert E. Fulton III Edit of Burroughs: The Movie
2015

Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets
1989

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994

Uncle Howard
2017

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
2012

The Book of Life
1998

Chicago
1968

William S. Burroughs in the Dreamachine
2015

Coda II
2013

Nova '78
2025

This Is Buzz
2026

Joy Division
2009

Saturday Night Live
1975