Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch (sometimes The Naked Lunch) is a novel by 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 US to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone. The vignettes (which Burroughs called “routines”) are drawn from Burroughs’ own experience in these places, and his addiction to drugs (heroin, morphine, and while in Tangier, “Majoun”—a strong marijuana confection—as well as a German opioid, brand name Eukodol, of which he wrote frequently). The novel was included in Time magazine’s “100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005”. In 1991, David Cronenberg released a film of the same name based upon the novel and other Burroughs writings.