Naked Lunch Naked Lunch Naked Lunch (sometimes The Naked Lunch) is a novel by American writer William S. Burroughs, originally published in 1959. The book is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes. Burroughs stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order. The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee, who takes on various aliases, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone. The vignettes (which Burroughs called "routines") are drawn from Burroughs' own experiences in these places and his addiction to drugs (heroin, morphine, and while in Tangier, majoun [a strong
Interzone (book) The villain of the piece, Doctor Benway, was to play a pivotal role in "Naked Lunch". (This story differs from another Burroughs piece titled "Twilight's Last Gleamings," which was published in the 1970s collection, "Exterminator!".) "Interzone" features many characters and concepts that would manifest themselves in "Naked Lunch", "Nova Express" and others. At one point, Interzone was considered as a title for "Naked Lunch". Moreover, the concluding section entitled "WORD" was part of the original "Naked Lunch" manuscript but was cut during the editing process (according to the introduction by editor James Grauerholz). Several of the short pieces were adapted