Naked Lunch in Manuscript > Naked Lunch in Manuscript 2
William S. Burroughs, 1914-1997
Typed letter signed, Burroughs to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, April 18, 1958
Allen Ginsberg Papers
Burroughs unconventional cover letter to Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights, which accompanied the “Interzone” manuscript, makes various suggestions for cuts, additions, and a complex ordering of individual sections, only to then concede, “Of course, you may have different ideas…” This letter shows that even upon submitting the text to a publisher Burroughs was still conceptualizing the book’s final form.
![Interzone [Manuscript] Index](https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/files/original/090069010_35a2c9b5e0.jpg)
Allen Ginsberg, 1926-1997
“Property of Allen Ginsberg,” Interzone Manuscript, [1959-60]
Allen Ginsberg Papers
The index for the “Interzone” manuscript shows two stages of progress, reflected in the index in the upper left portion of the page, as collated by Ginsberg, and the lower portion of the page; the later “Definitive Table of Contents of Interzone” was produced by Alan Ansen (who appears as AJ in the novel). Both versions differ from the published text. The note “Property of Allen Ginsberg…” appears in Kerouac’s hand.
Allen Ginsberg, 1926-1997
Index pages, Interzone Manuscript, [1959-60]
Allen Ginsberg Papers
In these index pages, Ginsberg has created a cross reference between the “Interzone” manuscript and the Olympia Press edition of the printed book. The purpose was to determine which sections of the “Interzone” manuscript had been left out of the Olympia edition in order to lengthen the first American edition, which was published by Grove Press in the Fall of 1962.
Jack Kerouac, 1922-1969
Autograph letter signed, Jack Kerouac to Lucien Carr, February 28, 1957
Lucien Carr Papers
Kerouac wrote enthusiastically to Lucien and Francesca Carr from Tangiers about the progress of Burroughs’s novel, which Kerouac called an “absolutely brilliant horde of words & in fact… is best thing of its kind in the world,” comparing the writing to Jean Genet, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, and Henry Miller.
Jack Kerouac, 1922-1969
Typed letter signed, Jack Kerouac to William S. Burroughs, [February] 1958
Jack Kerouac Collection
Some of the editorial assistance that Ginsberg and Kerouac provided Burroughs included typing—and retyping—his manuscript. In a May 1957 letter to Lucien Carr, Ginsberg reported that “we type & edit vast amount[s] in relays.” The letter here provides an example of Kerouac’s typing efforts. On the left: Kerouac’s letter to Burroughs, in which he explains that his typing was motivated “[b]ecause [Burroughs] cant type himself[,] his manuscripts are well nigh unreadable.” Also included in the letter are two of Kerouac’s poems from Orlanda Blues.
Allen Ginsberg, 1926-1997
Typed letter signed, Allen Ginsberg to Lucien Carr, April 4, 1957
Lucien Carr Papers
In April 1957 Ginsberg and Kerouac were with Burroughs in Tangier. This letter from Ginsberg to Lucien Carr further reports on their contributions to Naked Lunch: “Bill just finished long free association obscene mad routine which Jack just typed, they both think it’s his best work to date.”