William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs (1914–1997) was an American novelist and one of the most important figures of the Beat Generation, best known for Naked Lunch (1959) — published first in Paris after being refused in the United States — and his development of the cut-up literary technique with Brion Gysin. The cut-up, which involved literally cutting up and rearranging texts to produce new meanings and associations, was Burroughs's most radical formal contribution and has influenced writers, musicians, and visual artists ever since.