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Topic: William S. Burroughs’ Scathing “Thanksgiving Prayer,” Shot by Gus Van Sant (Read 11 times) previous topic - next topic

William S. Burroughs’ Scathing “Thanksgiving Prayer,” Shot by Gus Van Sant

William S. Burroughs’ Scathing “Thanksgiving Prayer,” Shot by Gus Van Sant

[html]“Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986” first appeared in print in Tornado Alley, a chapbook published by William S. Burroughs in 1989. Two years later, Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Milk) shot a montage that brought the poem to film, making it at least the second time the director adapted the beat writer to film. […]
                              




   



“Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986” first appeared in print in Tornado Alley, a chapbook published by William S. Burroughs in 1989. Two years later, Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Milk) shot a montage that brought the poem to film, making it at least the second time the director adapted the beat writer to film.


If you’ve seen Burroughs use Shakespeare’s face for target practice, or if you’ve watched The Junky’s Christmas, you’ll know that he wasn’t kind to convention or tradition. And there are no prisoners taken here, as you’ll see above.


For background on Burroughs, read the New Yorker piece “The Outlaw, The extraordinary life of William S. Burroughs.” Find the text for “Thanksgiving Prayer” here.


Now time for a little Thanksgiving dinner.…


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Related Content:


William S. Burroughs Tells the Story of How He Started Writing with the Cut-Up Technique


How William S. Burroughs Influenced Rock and Roll, from the 1960s to Today


William S. Burroughs Teaches a Free Course on Creative Reading and Writing (1979)


How William S. Burroughs Used the Cut-Up Technique to Shut Down London’s First Espresso Bar (1972)


 

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