Queer Fiction Reading Group

For the eight installment of Sanna's Queer Fiction reading group, we are exploring William S. Burrough's classic novel Queer. Originally written in 1952 but not published till 1985, Queer is an enigma - both an unflinching autobiographical self-portrait and a coruscatingly political novel, Burroughs' only realist love story and a montage of comic-grotesque fantasies that paved the way for his masterpiece, Naked Lunch.

There’s no need to prepare but if you feel like it, please feel free to mention a passage or character you particularly liked (or disliked!) from the novel over the course of the evening.

In the shadowed cantinas of 1950s Mexico City, William Lee grapples with obsession, isolation, and a deep sense of alienation. Struggling with his unrequited love for a younger man, Lee searches for meaning and connection in a world that feels indifferent to his desires.