''Speed'', first published in 1970, was the first of three published works by William S. Burroughs Jr., the son of the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...

author

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

Summary

''Speed'' is an

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The ...

about the ins and outs of the life of a

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

addict. It starts out with Burroughs in his grandmother's house in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and moves to the streets of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It is written in the straight narrative style. Throughout the book the life of the speed addict is explored and the stories of how Burroughs got from being a

teenage Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with ...

speed-freak to getting arrested and tried for forging a prescription is touched upon. ''Speed'' was almost rejected by its publisher due to its crude themes, such as the in-depth sex scene between Burroughs and his child love, Maria.

Impact

Burroughs' second work, '' Kentucky Ham'', is similar in some aspects to ''Speed'' and elucidates the other adventures had by him after ''Speed'' was written. His third work, '' Cursed From Birth'', was compiled by David Ohle and published posthumously. Due to the author's having an almost identical name to his more famous father, and because the book deals with themes often featured in his father's writings, ''Speed'' is often erroneously credited to the elder Burroughs.

References

American autobiographical novels 1970 American novels Novels by William S. Burroughs Jr. Olympia Press books {{1970s-autobio-novel-stub