LGBT Book & Video Blog

What has made Burroughs a household name, however, is his ability to mine his colorful past and produce gems. His first memoir, Running With Scissors in 2002, made him a No. 1 best-selling author on The New York Times list. He followed that blockbuster book with 2003’s Dry, his tell-all of getting and staying sober.

In 2003’s Magical Thinking and 2006’s Possible Side Effects, Burroughs published collections of essays turning the ordinary events of his life into humorous romps, with his hallmark wry wit.

In his latest tome, A Wolf at the Table, Burroughs returns to writing memoirs, expanding on his strained relationship with his late father, who is described as “a shadowy presence in [his] life.”

During his book tour, Burroughs kindly corresponded through e-mail with the Gay & Lesbian Times to talk about his past, present and future writing projects, being a gay author with crossover appeal, and about relinquishing control of his tales to have them told on film.

Writing has become a bit of a coping mechanism for the author.

“Well, writing has always been cathartic for me,” wrote Burroughs, who was born Christopher Robison. “I’ve been writing about my life for most of my life. As a young teenager, suddenly hurled into extraordinary circumstances, I found myself under profound stress. And I kind of had a choice to make: kill myself or focus on the absurd. This wasn’t a conscious choice, but it was a choice nonetheless. And the lens was ground.”

• Augusten Burroughs: an open book, Gay and Lesbian Times, CA
  
  
• A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father
• Editorial Reviews of A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father