William Seward Burroughs

William S. Burroughs (1914–1997) was an American novelist and a central figure of the Beat Generation. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he studied at Harvard University and later lived in New York, Mexico City, Tangier, Paris, and London. Burroughs became known for his darkly comic, experimental writing about addiction, control, and modern society. His most famous book, *Naked Lunch* (1959), helped spark a major U.S. obscenity trial that expanded protections for literary expression. He also developed and popularized the “cut-up” technique with Brion Gysin, influencing later writers, artists, and musicians. Burroughs died in Lawrence, Kansas.