William Burroughs and Brion Gysin writings
name: label: Creator
content: Gysin, Brion, 1916-1986
label: Creator
content: Burroughs, William S., 1914-1997
label: Names
content: Hotel Les Goelands (Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France)
label: Names
content: Bradshaw, David
label: Names
content: Brady, John
label: Names
content: Grinstein, Elyse, 1929-2016
label: Names
content: Grinstein, Stanley, 1927-2014
topic: label: Occupation
content: Collagists
label: Topic
content: Authors
label: Topic
content: Experimental fiction
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The William Burroughs and Brion Gysin writings were donated in 2017 by the Grinstein family, via Ayn Grinstein, Ellen Grinstein Perliter, and Nancy Grinstein, executors.
creator: label: Creator
content: Gysin, Brion, 1916-1986
label: Creator
content: Burroughs, William S., 1914-1997
setName: label: See more items in
content: William Burroughs and Brion Gysin writings
abstract: label: Summary
content: The writings of American writer William S. Burroughs and British writer Brion Gysin measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1963 to 1973, and 1997. This collection includes three books of writings by Burroughs and Gysin and one folder of letters from artist David Bradshaw to art collectors Stanley and Elyse Grinstein about William Burroughs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) was a writer in New York, Mexico, Morocco, and Kansas. Burroughs's friend, painter and poet Brion Gysin, developed the "cut-up technique" of writing, a form of collage using blocks of randomly arranged text, which was popularized by Burroughs. Gysin taught the cut-up technique to Burroughs at the Beat Hotel in Paris, France around 1959, and Burroughs implemented the technique to create his third novel, Naked Lunch. The two continued to collaborate on projects and remained close friends.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1997
label: Date
content: 1963-1973
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.burrwill
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 1 series.

Series 1: Writings, 1963-1973, 1997 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Materials received a preliminary level of arrangement after receipt. The collection was fully processing and prepared for digitization by Rihoko Ueno in 2017 with funding provided by the Walton Family Foundation and Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection has been digitized and is available on the Archives' website.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The writings of American writer William S. Burroughs and British writer Brion Gysin measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1963 to 1973, and 1997. This collection includes three books of writings by Burroughs and Gysin and one folder of letters from artist David Bradshaw to art collectors Stanley and Elyse Grinstein about William Burroughs.

The three books of writings by William Burroughs and Brion Gysin use a "cut-up technique" of diaristic writings. Drawings, clippings, photos, and other items are pasted onto the pages throughout the books. Two of the books were created in agenda books and the third was created in a Les Goelands notebook. The third book has been identified as "John Brady's book," after a friend of Burroughs. There are a few loose pages from the Les Goelands notebook in a corresponding folder and one folder of letters about Burroughs written by the artist David Bradshaw.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found at the Archives of American Art are the papers of Stanley and Elyse Grinstein, who were prominent art collectors and patrons.

The New York Public Library archive also possesses a substantial collection of William S. Burroughs papers.