Description
A quick take on The Third Mind: A cut-up collab (with a 1966 interview with Burroughs excerpted from The Paris Review) with interesting illustrations. From the front DJ flap: “Here Burroughs and Gysin explore, document, and illustrate their ‘cut-up’ method in a series of dazzling and often dizzying collaborations.”
A deeper dive into the book: The Third Mind is a revolutionary exploration of creativity, blending text and visuals to challenge conventional notions of authorship, narrative, and artistic expression. The title refers to the idea that collaboration between two minds creates a third, transcendent consciousness. Burroughs and Gysin believed that working together generated innovative ideas neither could achieve alone. Central to the book is the “cut-up” method, a literary and artistic technique pioneered by Gysin and adopted by Burroughs. (But don’t let Harold Norse hear you say that).
By physically cutting and rearranging text, they created unexpected juxtapositions and meanings, mirroring the randomness of thought and life.
The book is an experimental collage of essays, images, and cut-up texts. It explores themes such as perception, control, and the subversion of traditional storytelling, embodying their vision of breaking free from societal constraints. The cut-up method was seen as a tool to disrupt established power structures, including language itself. The book combines literature, visual art, and theory, influencing countercultural and avant-garde movements in the 20th century. The Third Mind remains a significant work in the study of experimental literature and art. It has inspired generations of writers, artists, and thinkers to challenge traditional modes of creativity.
Burroughs and Gysin’s collaboration is a testament to their shared commitment to pushing boundaries, making The Third Mind a landmark in avant-garde art and literature.
And next time we have a beer, remind me to tell you some of the stories Hal Norse told me about living at The Beat Hotel.
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