William S. Burroughs Queer

Title: Queer

Author: William S. Burroughs was born in 1914 in the USA. He belonged to the Beat Generation. He lived in Mexico City at the end of the 1940s because he killed his wife and he couldn't come back to the USA. He waited there five years because he wanted to become statute-barred. Nearly all his books describe his experience with drugs and their use. The drugs served him as an entrance to the world of fantasy, imagination and ecstasy. His most important works are The Yage Letters, Queer and so on. Topic: To record his life (life of a homosexual)

Setting: The plot is situated to Mexico City and South America at the end of the 1940s and in the beginning of the 1950s. Main characters: Lee is a homosexual and a drug adolict. He likes to narrate, all the time he looks for a boyfriend. Allerton isn't a homosexual (I think) but he is in touch with Lee. He is young. Story: The author describe his life as Lee's life. Lee is an American who lives in Mexico City. He is a homosexual and he goes to homosexuals' bars where he looks for a boyfriend. Once Lee meets Allerton and he falls in love with Allerton. Allerton isn't a homosexual nevertheless he is in touch with Lee and has sex with him. Unexpectedly Allerton stops loving Lee and Lee tries to get his love back. Lee wants to have yage (a drug) and that is why he wants to go to South America. He asks Allerton to go with him. Allerton agrees. They are in South America several days. Lee wants to get yage from indians but when he sees that it's hopeless, he returns with Allerton to Mexico City. The relationship with Allerton will end. There is shown the negative sight of the Mexicans in this work. Style: It's a narration. There are dialogues and direct speech. Your evaluation: The book is interesting and a little complicated. I had to concentrate to understand all what the author wanted to say. Norman Mailer said: "William S. Burroughs is the only living American writer who could indicate as a genius.".