William S Burroughs “didn’t intend to kill” wife at party, says curator of new exhibition: “He broke down sobbing”
A curator and confidant of the late William S Burroughs has said the writer and artist “broke down sobbing” when recalling the death of his partner.
Considered a pivotal figure in the Beat Generation of American literature, Burroughs wrote influential books such as Naked Lunch, Junkie, and Queer, which was recently adapted into a film starring Daniel Craig.
In 1951, Burroughs shot dead his common-law wife, Joan Vollmer, in what the writer claimed was a William Tell-style stunt gone wrong as he tried to shoot a glass from her head. The incident happened in Mexico, with Burroughs fleeing the country back to the United States. He was convicted In absentia of manslaughter, receiving a two-year suspended sentence.
The incident has made Burroughs’ legacy a divisive one, although a curator of his work has shared an anecdote that suggests remorse on his part. Speaking to The Guardian at the opening of an exhibition of his work, Kathelin Gray recalled her first meeting with him.
In the 1970s, Grey invited Burroughs to give a lecture in Santa Fe at the Institute for Ecotechnics, and after he accepted, she asked him “William, I have read your books and I must know: what is your attitude to women?”
According to Gray, the answer was: “He stood stock still, looked into my eyes and said ‘I killed the only woman I ever loved’. Then he broke down sobbing”. She would later become a curator of his art and forge a close friendship with Burroughs for decades until his death in 1997.
Her current project is an exhibition of his lesser-known works, titled simply William S Burroughs, on display at the October Gallery in London until April 5.
Elsewhere in the interview, Gray shared what she thought of the death. “It was an accident,” she said. “Of course he didn’t intend to kill her”. She would later provide her own answer regarding his attitude toward women, saying: “There was nothing misogynistic about him at all”.
The film adaptation of Queer was well-received by critics, with NME’s review saying that: “Craig delivers one of his best performances to date as Lee, investing him with a palpable world-weariness and making you feel every moment of hope, desire, ecstasy and crushing disappointment”.
Despite the warm reception, Craig was snubbed during awards, season, much to the ire of fans.
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Victoria Luxford
NME
