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
Brion Gysin Gysin not only shared his discovery with his friend but the new techniques he had developed for it. Burroughs then put the techniques to use while completing "Naked Lunch" and the experiment dramatically changed the landscape of American literature. Gysin helped Burroughs with the editing of several of his novels including "Interzone", and wrote a script for a film version of "Naked Lunch", which was never produced. The pair collaborated on a large manuscript for Grove Press titled "The Third Mind" but it was determined that it would be impractical to publish it as originally envisioned. The book later published