after many years I re read this book that his now a sort of cult book. a trip in the now dated world of drug users in the 50′.. a sort of world of expats junkies meeting in south america or in other parts of the US and exchanging stories and tips.

the attempt to bring order to lives of disorder. a trip in a microcosm that no one knew and especially no one who knew first hand could tell in a novel. WB is a revolutionary writer, linguistically revolutionary, culturally revolutionary. he brings out his addiction, his sexual preferences, his lust, his weakness and he asks not for pity or understanding, the story is told in a matter-of-fact style, there is no psychological analyses. Junk addiction is like many other addictions that people have, food alcohol, sex etc..

WB is considered the father of the beat culture that was just round the corner, however I think only true for the beatnicks; to me, if there is anyone that really fully embraced WB legacy, that one would be Hunter S. Thompson. The beatnicks might have found inspiration in WB books and life, but they couldn’t be any more different; while HST was really the WB of the 70′s / 80′s.