Posted by wendy b. on June 2, 2003, at 22:53:37
In reply to Re: Burroughs suprise--what?, posted by noa on May 29, 2003, at 18:03:38
> >the death in 1951 of his wife, killed by an inebriated Burroughs while shooting at a glass perched atop her head.
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> And he was never held legally responsible for this?Well, how it all actually worked out is sketchy, but the biography says it happened in Mexico City. His wife, Joan, was at least as drunk as he was; they were visiting a friend who was to introduce them to another guy who was interested in buying a gun of Burroughs's (!) So after spending most of the day drinking, and the third party never showing up, Burroughs pulls this gun out of his bag and says to Joan that it was about time they did their William Tell act. They had never performed such a stunt, but his wife laughed, and then proceeded to balance a 6-ounce water glass on her head. Burroughs fired, the bullet went through her forehead and lodged in her brain. The glass fell to the floor, undamaged. Joan was pronounced dead on arrival at Red Cross Hospital.
His attorney got him out of jail in 13 days, a bit of a record, it seems. He was charged and found guilty of 'imprudencia criminal,' in Spanish, which probably means something like involuntary manslaughter, unpremeditated, and accidental. He was released on bail until sentencing, a year later, until which time he had to report each Monday to the local prison (probation).
Burroughs writes, 30 years later: "I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I never would have become a writer but for Joan's death, and to a realization of the extent to which this event has motivated and formulated my writing. I lived with the constant threat of possession, and a constant need to escape from possession, from Control. So the death of Joan brought me in contact with the invader, the Ugly Spirit that maneuvered me into a lifelong struggle, in which I have had no choice except to write my way out."> You think the NRA liked having him as a member? Not exactly their best poster child!!
I think, as Mitch says, they weren't thrilled to have him amongst their ranks, if they even knew who he was!
> Would make a great poster child for gun control!!Ya think? ;-]
(Even though I have great respect for Burroughs's work, there's something so odd about a guy killing his wife, accidentally or not, and making it the genesis-point of the trajectory of his creative career. I guess he was probably bipolar [mood swings and self-medicating], and that often implies a keen artistic sensibility... )
And with that heart-warming story,
I'll say,
G'night,
pleasant dreams,Wendy
poster:wendy b.
thread:228711
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20030426/msgs/230983.html