Jennie Skerl Research on William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and William Burroughs, Jr.
SPEC.RARE.0092
Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
0.4 Cubic feet
1970-1991
Jennie Skerl published multiple works on Beat authors, such as Brion Gysin, William Burroughs Jr., and had a strong focus on William S. Burroughs. Burroughs was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer, and Burroughs Jr. was his son who was also an author. Brion Gysin is known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by William S. Burroughs. The Jennie Skerl Research on William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and William Burroughs, Jr. contains Jennie Skerl's research material relating to the three men, correspondence with other researchers, interviews with William S. Burroughs, and a copy of Burroughs Jr.'s unpublished novel,
Prakriti Junction. Material is dated 1970-1991.
(1) 5” letter document box
English
Skerl, Jennie
Arrangement
This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.
Acquisitions Information
Donated by Jennie Skerl, 2012 February; 2012 August.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], Jennie Skerl Research on William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and William Burroughs, Jr., SPEC.RARE.0092, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Contains an audiocassette.
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only. Audio/visual materials and computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed.
Use of Materials
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.
Processing Information
This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by: Ashleigh Minor, 2015; Courtney Bishop, 2017 September, 2018 March.
Biographical Note
Jennie Skerl was Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at West Chester University before she retired in 1994. She published multiple works on Beat authors, with a strong focus on William S. Burroughs, including a book titled
William S. Burroughs. William S. Burroughs was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays. Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist. He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs. William Burroughs, Jr. was an American novelist, the son of William S. Burroughs. He wrote three novels, two of which were published:
Speed (1970) and
Kentucky Ham (1973). His third novel,
Prakriti Junction, begun in 1977, was never completed.
Scope and Contents
The Jennie Skerl Research on William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and William Burroughs, Jr. contains Jennie Skerl's research about the three men, including correspondence with other researchers, interviews with William S. Burroughs, and a copy of his son's unpublished novel, Prakriti Junction. Skerl interviewed other people who knew Burroughs. Anne Waldman knew Burroughs and his son well and Felicity Mason was a lifelong friend of Gysin, who also knew Burroughs. Material is dated 1970-1991.
Burroughs, William S., 1914-1997
Burroughs, William S., 1947-1981
Gysin, Brion
Skerl, Jennie
Beat generation--Research
Novelists, American--20th century
Postcard from Brion Gysin to Jennie Skerl; Mail Interview with Brion Gysin
1
1
1985
Postcard from William S. Burroughs to Jennie Skerl; Correspondence between Jennie Skerl and James Grauerholz re. Burroughs Interview
1
2
1970, 1979-1986
Correspondence regarding William S. Burroughs and Beat Research (Joy Walsh, Bob Rosenthal, Art Efron, Dan Propper, Jake Leed, Richard Seaver, Allen De Loach, University of Arizona Library)
1
3
1973-1986
Correspondence regarding William S. Burroughs (Alan Ansen, Ray E. Hiebert)
1
4
1982 November 28, 1991 August 11
Correspondence regarding William S. Burroughs (James Grauerholz, Robin Lydenberg, Liam Buckley, Wayne Pound, Christopher Sharrett, Daniel Pastor, Jeff Bryan)
1
5
1987-1990
Interviews with William S. Burroughs
1
6
1980-1982
Research on William S. Burroughs and Typescripts of Skerl's Essay
1
7
1982
Interview with Allen Ginsberg; Photographs of Allen Ginsberg in Poetry in Motion film
1
8
1983, 1986
Manuscript of Prakriti Junction by William Burroughs, Jr. photocopy
1
9
1977-1979
Mason (Felicity) material; Anne Waldman correspondence and poems
1
10
1982-1985
Mason (Felicity) interview
1
11
1985 June 17
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Audiocassette; Approximate run time: unknown