Born February 5, 1914, in St. Louis, Missouri, William S. Burroughs was a pioneering writer and artist whose influence extended across literature, visual art, and multimedia. A central figure of the Beat Generation, his works, including dozens of books and hundreds of essays, paintings, and spoken-word performances, sought to expose systems of oppression and craft what he called a “mythology for the space age.” His prophetic explorations of technological control and societal overreach remain strikingly relevant. After graduating from Harvard in 1936, Burroughs immersed himself in the subcultures of Europe and later lived in cities such as New York, Tangiers, Paris, and London, drawing from his global experiences to craft his groundbreaking, non-linear narratives like Naked Lunch and the Nova Trilogy.

Burroughs’ creative journey was fueled by diverse interests, from mythology and shamanism to advertising and firearms. A vocal critic of the War on Drugs, he documented his experiments with mind-altering substances in works like The Yage Letters. Collaborations with figures such as Brion Gysin led to innovations like the 'cut-up' technique, a method of deconstructing and reassembling text and visuals to unlock new meanings. Throughout his life, Burroughs partnered with luminaries like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Keith Haring, and Kurt Cobain, blending ideas across mediums. In his later years in Lawrence, Kansas, he developed his "Gunshot Art" and continued producing a vast array of paintings and sculptures, which have been celebrated in international galleries, solidifying his legacy as a multidisciplinary visionary.