Beat Writers in Historic Springfield: William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Marker in Jax

Posted on May 11, 2019 | 1 Comment

Click below for the full story:

In 1952, while the Beat novelist William S. Burroughs awaited trial for killing his “common law” wife, Joan Vollmer, in Mexico City, he wrote most of the novel Queer, in which a fictionalized Burroughs named William Lee pursues a fictionalized Adelbert Lewis Marker of Jacksonville named Eugene Allerton with undisguised lustful aggression through Mexico City.

When Marker sought refuge back home in Jacksonville’s Victorian Springfield, Burroughs came to call, as did Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg wrote novelist Jack Kerouac about drinking rum with Marker on East 4th Street or East 6th Street. Burroughs wrote his first two novels for Marker, said if Marker didn’t like them, he’d never write again, though he seems to have forgotten the wife he’d just shot in the forehead and killed.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Adelbert Lewis Marker, Allen Ginsberg, Allen Ginsberg Jacksonville, ayahuasca, Betty Woods, Bill Morgan, Eddie Woods, Edna Marker, Edna Rehberg, Eugene Allerton, Ignu, Jack Kerouac, Jacksonville history, James Grauerholz, Joan Burroughs, Joan Vollmer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Lew Marker, Lewis Marker, Naked Lunch Junky Queer, Tim Gilmore, Tim Gilmore Jacksonville, William S. Burroughs, William S. Burroughs Jacksonville. Bookmark the permalink.

One response to “Beat Writers in Historic Springfield: William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Marker in Jax”

Bill Ectric | May 11, 2019 at 3:32 pm |

Excellent article, Mr. Gilmore. I had totally forgotten about Burroughs’ Jacksonville connection! I am a big fan of his writing and would like to believe he was truly sorry about accidentally shooting his wife. The best way to experience Burroughs is listening to him read from his books. There are many recordings available online and I highly recommend them.

Leave a ReplyCancel reply