New edition of the Penguin Essential of the most mesmerising account of heroin addiction ever written

'Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life'

William Burroughs, legendary drug addict, founder member of the Beats and author of Naked Lunch, relates with unflinching realism the addict's life- from initial heroin bliss to an unabated hunger for the needle, and the horrors of cold turkey and back again.