William Burroughs, The Cat Inside

Chad Weidner

Ed. by Christopher Hugh Gair, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1986

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Essay / Lecture (literary)

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

The Cat Inside

is a late publication by Beat Generation member William Burroughs. The novella is an autobiographical account of living with cats. It explores the ordinary details of cat lives, as well as their joyful triumphs and moving tragedies. Burroughs conveys his message through the use of lucid dream episodes and discussions of the mythological history of felines. Near the end of the narrative, the author contemplates the future of cats and other animal species in a world wrought with environmental problems. Ultimately, the text highlights the importance of cats to continued human existence.

The book was first published as a limited edition by Grenfell Press in 1986. Only a few dozen copies were initially produced. Viking Press released a hardcover version in 1992 and paperback

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

741 words

Citation: Weidner, Chad. "The Cat Inside". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 July 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1360, accessed 21 November 2024.]

William Burroughs, The Cat Inside

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback