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William S. Burroughs

American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer (1914–1997)
Person human Q188176
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Summary

William S. Burroughs was born on February 5, 1914[1], in St. Louis[2]. He died on August 2, 1997[3], in Lawrence[4]. He worked as a writer[5], poet[6], novelist[7], essayist[8], and painter[9]. He ranks in the top 0.37% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (36,393 views/month, #3,742 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Date of death: August 11, 1997[11]
  • Place of burial: Bellefontaine Cemetery[12]
  • Father: Mortimer P. Burroughs[13]
  • Mother: Laura Hammond Lee Burroughs[14]
  • Spouse: Joan Vollmer[15]
  • Child: William S. Burroughs Jr.[16]
  • Country of citizenship: United States[17]
  • Native language: English[18]
  • Occupation: screenwriter[19], science fiction writer[20], prose writer[21], photographer[22], singer[23], artist[24], musician[25], librettist[26]
  • Field of work: satire[27]
  • Employer: Naropa University[28]
  • Educated at: Harvard University[29], John Burroughs School[30]
  • Notable work: Junkie[31], Nova Express[32], Cities of the Red Night[33], The Place of Dead Roads[34]
  • Award received: Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres[35], Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[36]
  • Member of: American Academy of Arts and Letters[37]
  • Influenced by: Louis-Ferdinand Céline[38], Jean-Paul Sartre[39]
  • Sex or gender: male[40]
  • Movement: Beat Generation[41]
  • Genre: science fiction[42], satire[43], dystopian literature[44], autobiography[45]
  • Named after: William Seward Burroughs I[46]
  • Record label: ESP-Disk[47]
  • Commons category: William S. Burroughs[48]
  • Archives at: Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library[49], New York Public Library Main Branch[50]
  • Cause of death: myocardial infarction[51]
  • Family name: Burroughs[52]

Why It Matters

William S. Burroughs has Wikipedia articles in 27 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[53] He is known by 78 alternative names across languages and contexts.[54]

He has been cited as an influence by Michel Foucault[55], an anthropologist[56], 1926–1984[57], of France[58], specialised in philosophy[59]; Clive Barker[60], a film director[61], b. 1952[62], of United Kingdom[63], awarded the Lambda Literary Award[64]; Keith Haring[65], a painter[66], 1958–1989[67], of United States[68], specialised in graffiti[69]; Jack Kerouac[70], a writer[71], 1922–1969[72], of United States[73], specialised in American literature[74]; Alan Moore[75], a comics writer[76], b. 1953[77], of United Kingdom[78], awarded the Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame[79], specialised in comics[80]; and Gilles Deleuze[81], a philosopher[82], 1925–1995[83], of France[84], specialised in philosophy[85].

Works attributed to him include Naked Lunch[86], Queer[87], Junkie[88], The Soft Machine[89], And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks[90], and The Wild Boys[91].

FAQs

Where was William S. Burroughs born?

William S. Burroughs was born in St. Louis[2].

Where did William S. Burroughs die?

William S. Burroughs died in Lawrence[4].

Who were William S. Burroughs's parents?

William S. Burroughs's father was Mortimer P. Burroughs[13]. William S. Burroughs's mother was Laura Hammond Lee Burroughs[14].

Who was William S. Burroughs married to?

William S. Burroughs's spouses include Joan Vollmer[15].

What did William S. Burroughs do for work?

William S. Burroughs worked as a writer[5], poet[6], novelist[7], essayist[8], and painter[9].

Where did William S. Burroughs go to school?

William S. Burroughs was educated at Harvard University[29] and John Burroughs School[30].

What awards did William S. Burroughs receive?

Honors received include Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres[35] and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[36].

Who did William S. Burroughs influence?

William S. Burroughs has been cited as an influence by Michel Foucault[55], Clive Barker[60], Keith Haring[65], and Jack Kerouac[70].

Related Entities

Alan Moore Aquara Clive Barker Gilles Deleuze Irvine Welsh Jack Kerouac Jean-Paul Sartre J. G. Ballard Kathy Acker Keith Haring Ken Kesey Louis-Ferdinand Céline Michael Moorcock Michel Foucault Naropa University National Gallery of Art Neal Cassady Norman Mailer San Francisco Museum of Modern Art UbuWeb United States Whitney Museum of American Art William Gibson ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [40] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] ↑ . Geni.com. wikidata.org.
  5. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [17] ↑ . LIBRIS. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [5] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [6] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [9] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [22] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [24] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [26] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [36] ↑ . www03.zkm.de. Retrieved . www03.zkm.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  36. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [49] ↑ . pid.emory.edu. pid.emory.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  40. [50] ↑ . archives.nypl.org. Retrieved . archives.nypl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  41. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [1] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  43. [3] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  44. [11] ↑ . Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  45. [52] ↑ . LIBRIS. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  46. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  48. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  49. [32] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  50. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  51. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [55] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [60] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [65] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [70] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [75] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [81] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [86] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [87] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [88] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [89] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [90] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [91] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [56] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [58] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [59] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [61] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [62] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [67] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [69] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [78] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [84] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [85] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [53] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [54] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William S. Burroughs. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-s-burroughs
MLA “William S. Burroughs.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 18 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-s-burroughs.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-s-burroughs_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William S. Burroughs}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-s-burroughs}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-18}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): William S. Burroughs — https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-s-burroughs (retrieved 2026-10-18)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 7h ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages-and-other-short:0||nb */ other names, source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of birth, source for date of death from Store norske leksik"
  2. 7d ago · HedgeHog · 2026-10-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['af', 'ar', 'arz', 'as', 'ast', 'azb', 'be', 'bg', 'br', 'bs', 'ca', 'cs', 'cy'
    Sitelink count → 78
    Bookbrainz author id → ca0cb003-565f-4450-aa44-716b5ee7f502
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Bookbrainz author id: ca0cb003-565f-4450-aa44-716b5ee7f502, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1791629849434"
  3. 5w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-09-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Allcinema person id → 26722
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Allcinema person id: 26722, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/321961936|ウィリアム・Ｓ・バロウズ (#321961936)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8395|Allcinema person]] #"
  4. 6w ago · MsMorale · 2026-09-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sinemalar person id → 43585
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Sinemalar person id: 43585, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/270606|batch #270606]]"
  5. 6w ago · Hannolans · 2026-09-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Has works in the collection → National Gallery of Art, Vanderbilt Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art +5
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Has works in the collection: Groninger Museum, groninger museum ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/c5a6d992c4b|details]])"
  6. 8w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Babelnet id → 00014053n
    Harper's tag → william-s-burroughs, william-burroughs
    P14750 → 5C30-5EBE-7516-E80A-6CEC
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151059117
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  7. 11w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-07-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Cine21 person id → 48805
    Harper's tag → william-s-burroughs, william-burroughs
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Harper's tag: william-s-burroughs, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289965346|william s burroughs (#289965346)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915"
  8. 18w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0002048-Burroughs-William-S-19141997
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: p0002048-Burroughs-William-S-19141997, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259494|batch #259494]]"
  9. 21w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image → Beat Hotel plaque - 9 rue Gît-le-Coeur, Paris 6.jpg
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Plaque image: Beat Hotel plaque - 9 rue Gît-le-Coeur, Paris 6.jpg"
  10. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image last checked license → —
    Image purged license → —
    Image unavailable reason → —
    Image purged at → —
    + 2 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32074|batch #32074]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (21)"
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