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Queer

By: William S. Burroughs
Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith, Andrew Garman
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Summary

Set in Mexico City during the early 50s, Queer follows William Lee's hopeless pursuit of desire from bar to bar in the American expatriate scene. As Lee breaks down, the trademark Burroughsian voice emerges; a maniacal mix of self-lacerating humor and the Ugly American at his ugliest. Burroughs' only realist love story, Queer is a haunting tale of possession and exorcism.

©1985 William S. Burroughs (P)2013 Recorded Books LLC
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+
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Critic reviews

"Burroughs is the greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift" (Jack Kerouac)
"A roller-coaster ride through hell, a safari to the strangest people of the strangest planet - ourselves... sit back and gorge yourself on this feast of a novel." (J. G. Ballard on Naked Lunch)

What listeners say about Queer

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not for the faint of heart...

If you could sum up Queer in three words, what would they be?

This was intended to be JUNKY part 2 and reads as such - having many of the characteristics of NAKED LUNCH - and this is what you want Burroughs in unapologetic full flow. Tasty for those who like their flavors weird and strong.

What did you like best about this story?

Burroughs being Burroughs - what else could you want?

Have you listened to any of T. Ryder Smith and Andrew Garman ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This couldn't have been easy to read aloud and keep a straight (lol) face...couldn't have been read on an empty stomach.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It is a book of moments that make you squirm, laugh and wince.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tiresome intro yet thoughtful story

A very interesting story as you can expect from one of the great writers of the Beat Generation. William Lee, the main character, is very loosely based on the writer - William S. Burroughs. This story "could" be seen as a sequel to Junky as, it seems Lee, in Queer, is coming out of his Junk haze all bit temporarily. Jean Alerton , the other main character is more of distraction from the Junk however, not entirely successful as Alerton spends much of his time trying to dodge Lee's advances.

Queer is not sexually graphic so, don't expect full on sex scenes. It's more thought provoking, analytical and much emphasis is on the characters and story and, the interplay of these characters.

The only downside is an OVERLY LONG intro to this book. It's an interesting intro in places yet, the intro waffles for far too long and spells out some of the meaning Queer. The William Burroughs intro at the end of this book is more to the point. It's always interesting to get insights to the story "after" the story has been red.

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