Friday 27 September 2013

Uptown Manhattan

William Burroughs, 1953
Photograph & Note by Allen Ginsberg
Gelatin silver print

"We went uptown to look at Mayan Codices at Museum of Natural History & Metropolitan Museum of Art to view Carlo Crivelli's greenhued Christ-face with crown of thorns stuck symmetric in his skull—here Egyptian wing William Burroughs with a brother Sphinx, Fall 1953 Manhattan."

4 comments:

  1. Fantastic snap by Ginsberg of Burroughs mirroring the Sphinx. WSB certainly was interested in ancient Egypt. Coincidentally I was thinking of Burroughs as well as you can see.

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    1. I was really pleased when I came across this shot. As you say, a fantastic photo.
      Interesting to see Burroughs in more casual clothes and not in the usual dark suit and hat.

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  2. Mayan Codices are very rare (due to the unbelievable book burnings by the Spanish priests). When I was in Madrid I visited a museum especially to see their Mayan codex.

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    1. That's something I'd really like to see, Rob.

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