Nickname applied to the author William
S. Burroughs. He recieved the title as a result of his self admitted, long term use of opioid agonists, particularly heroin, a regular topic of interest for Burroughs in much of his literature. He became famous in the new york
junk scene as a dope addicted icon after works such as
Junkie and Naked Lunch were published in 1953 and '59.
Junkie was particularly responsible for this reputation as it delved into his very
real personal experiences as an opiate addict in New York, detailing everything from his first military issue syrette of morphine in 1945 through years of hustling,
junk sickness,nods, legal evasion, and eventual kicking. In Naked lunch, a far more fantastical, fictional book,opiates( notably heroin, morphine, opium,and paregoric) are used by the character William Lee ,a pen
name burroughs often used, and are mentioned regularly.
