Cities of the Red Night
Encyclopedia
Cities of the Red Night is a novel by American author William S. Burroughs
. It is part of his final trilogy of novels, known as The Red Night Trilogy, followed by The Place of Dead Roads
and The Western Lands
, and was first published in 1981. It was his first full-length novel since The Wild Boys
a decade earlier. The plot revolves around a group of radical pirates who seek the freedom to live under the articles set out by Captain James Mission
. In near present day, a parallel story follows a detective searching for a lost boy, abducted for use in a sexual ritual. The cities of the title mimic and parody real places, and Burroughs makes references to the United States
, Mexico
, and Morocco
.
lives on. His way of life is based on The Articles, a general freedom to live as one chooses, without prejudice. The novel is narrated from two different standpoints; one set in the 18th century which follows a group of pirate boys led by Noah Blake, who land in Panama
to liberate it. The other is set in the late 20th century, and follows a detective tracing the disappearance of an adolescent boy.
.
.
's 1562 painting "The Triumph of Death
".
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
. It is part of his final trilogy of novels, known as The Red Night Trilogy, followed by The Place of Dead Roads
The Place of Dead Roads
The Place of Dead Roads by William S. Burroughs, published in 1983, is the second book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands...
and The Western Lands
The Western Lands
The Western Lands by William S. Burroughs, published in 1987, is a novel which is the final part of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads. The title refers to the western bank of the Nile River, which in Egyptian mythology is the Land of the Dead...
, and was first published in 1981. It was his first full-length novel since The Wild Boys
The Wild Boys (novel)
The Wild Boys is a novel written by Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs. It was first published in 1971 by Grove Press.-Introduction:...
a decade earlier. The plot revolves around a group of radical pirates who seek the freedom to live under the articles set out by Captain James Mission
Libertatia
Libertatia is said to have been a libertarian communalist colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar by pirates under the leadership of Captain James Misson. Whether or not Libertatia actually existed is disputed...
. In near present day, a parallel story follows a detective searching for a lost boy, abducted for use in a sexual ritual. The cities of the title mimic and parody real places, and Burroughs makes references to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Plot introduction
The plot follows a nonlinear course through time and space. It imagines an alternate history in which Captain James Mission's LibertatiaLibertatia
Libertatia is said to have been a libertarian communalist colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar by pirates under the leadership of Captain James Misson. Whether or not Libertatia actually existed is disputed...
lives on. His way of life is based on The Articles, a general freedom to live as one chooses, without prejudice. The novel is narrated from two different standpoints; one set in the 18th century which follows a group of pirate boys led by Noah Blake, who land in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
to liberate it. The other is set in the late 20th century, and follows a detective tracing the disappearance of an adolescent boy.
Origin of the title
The title refers to the six cities of the red night: Tamaghis, Ba'dan, Yass-Waddah, Waghdas, Naufana, and Ghadis. One must make the Pilgrimage through all six cities which, it is said, may take multiple lifetimes. Each reveals a different permutation of the famous aphorism of Hassan i Sabbah: "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted." This is apparently in reference to the sixth chapter of the third book of an Arabic magical text, the Ghayat al-Hakim or the PicatrixPicatrix
Picatrix is the name used today, and historically in Christian Europe, for a grimoire originally written in Arabic titled غاية الحكيم , which most scholars assume was written in the middle of the 11th century, though a supported argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has...
.
The disease
In the novel, the world is plagued by a viral disease that destroys humanity and has a relationship to sexSex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
.
Art
The cover art for the 1981 Holt-Rinehart-Winston first edition is Pieter Brueghel the ElderPieter Brueghel the Elder
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes . He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel" to distinguish him from other members of the Brueghel dynasty, but he is also the one generally meant when the context does...
's 1562 painting "The Triumph of Death
The Triumph of Death
The Triumph of Death is an oil painting on panel, painted c. 1562 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.The painting is a panoramic landscape: the sky in the distance is blackened by smoke from burning cities and the sea is littered with shipwrecks. Armies of...
".
External links
- http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/09/specials/disch-burrows.html