Totem Topics 25th Anniversary Edition

by William S. Burroughs

Book Overview

Originally written in 1952 but not published till 1985, Queer is an enigma - both an unflinching autobiographical self-portrait and a coruscatingly political novel, Burroughs' only realist love story... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 1550562614
• Release Date: January 1
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

tragedy of a drifter

A book of unreciprocated feelings, and longings amplified by withdrawel and junk sickness. This is a much more intimate and personal look into the life of William Burroughs than his other stuff. It takes place after he accidentally killed his wife, and he is sobering up and facing all of the demons and guilt previously dulled by the drugs. This book was banned for a long time, the homosexual relationships and longings aren't grotesque exaggerations with shock value in mind like some of his other stories, they are very human and almost universal innocent boyish longings for affection. He develops these "routines", funny stories he uses that show off his sarcasm and absurd sense of humor when he wants the attention of the room. All of the stories are hilarious and really show off his talent as a writer, but the people around him generally could care less or they just don't get it. So he is trapped always in a foreign land suspicious of everyone searching endlessly for islands of sanctuary. Burroughs claims in the introduction that just reading the words and putting it down is very painful for him, but he did it so that he could move forward. A very intense time in the life of a brilliant and fascinating character.

Straigh Forward and Brilliant

Burrough's earlier works are probably his best ones in my opinion. His later stuff is too abstract and too far out to make for an enjoyable read. However, this book tells a story in a simple and straight forward manner. I highly recommend this book as a good starting point to the world of William S. Burroughs. Some of the later stuff that features the infamous cut-up technique works better on his spoken word albums because that stuff is more like poetry anyway. Also, I should mention that the forward in this book is amazing and is some of my favorite writing by Burroughs.

Another Type of Drug

I bought this book earlier today, and I have just finished reading it. Of course it is not hard to read a 134 page book in a few hours, but what a moving experience it was! This was the second Burroughs book that I have read, the first being Junky, and like Junky this book is straight forward and brutally honest. Lee reminds me of a high school kid pining away over the girl of his dreams. But of course Burroughs is not a kid, and he is not pining overe a girl. It is almost painful reading this book, seeing how obsessed Lee is with the man he desires. He goes out of his way several times just to be with Allerton, and one unkind word from Allerton can destroy's Lee's ego. It is really a quite sad, and quite real sight to behold.This is a really good book that shows how much lust and desire can almost ruin a person. Also, as many have stated before, Burroughs does a wonderful job of describing 40s era Mexico city and several places in south america. Also the introduction is very awesome giving a short but poignant look at how Burroughs started writing. A good book check it out.

Full of compassion

This book is so sad. Borroughs constant neglection and isolation is so dramatic that we probably all feel very sad about his experiences. "Queer" is a book describing a man's search for his identity and recognition in Society. Wonderful book that really needs to be read by everyone.

God, can you imagine a more easy read?

A brilliant, bare book of an intense, one-way homosexual relationship, and the tale of unrequited love on any level. Burrough's describes the feeling of giving yourself and getting nothing in return beautifully. A must for the loved and lost masses. A good place to begin your Burroughs reading list as it's one of his most coherent books.