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Dead Fingers Talk

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Dead Fingers Talk is a groundbreaking work by William S. Burroughs, first published in 1963. It blends new writing with excerpts from his earlier works Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, and The Ticket That Exploded, creating a unique literary collage that mirrors remix and mash-up techniques in art and music. This edition presents a restored text offering fresh insights into Burroughs's innovative style.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to fans of experimental literature, admirers of Burroughs's work, and readers interested in avant-garde artistic expressions and twentieth-century literary innovation.

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A newly edited edition of Dead Fingers Talk, the most commercial and accessible works by William S. Burroughs. Publication to mark 70 years of Calder Publications

A newly edited edition of Dead Fingers Talk, the most commercial and accessible works by William S. Burroughs. Publication to mark 70 years of Calder Publications

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Only edition in print

First published in 1963 and representing Burroughs’s literary breakthrough in the UK, Dead Fingers Talk is, in the words of Burroughs scholar Oliver Harris, “a prophetic work of haunting power”, and is perhaps the most commercial and accessible of his works. Combining new material with selections from Naked Lunch and his cut-up novels The Soft Machine and The Ticket That Exploded, the book is also a fascinating precursor to remix and mash-up forms in art and music, which owe much to Burroughs’s influence.

This newly edited edition of Dead Fingers Talk, based on the restored text of the novel, will delight all Burroughs fans and lovers of experimental literature, and offer a new insight into the artistic process of one of the most original and influential writers of the twentieth century.

Series: Alma Classics Evergreens

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Oliver Harris describes the book as "a prophetic work of haunting power," highlighting its profound impact and enduring significance.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780714550015

Publisher: Alma Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 August 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Alma Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 269g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Widely recognized as being one of the most culturally influential, politically trenchant and innovative artists of the twentieth century, William S. Burroughs (1914–97) became a key figure in the generation of writers that emerged in the early 1950s. He was the author of eighteen novels and novellas, among them the 1959 classic Naked Lunch, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays.

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