Who married William S. Burroughs?

William Seward Burroughs (/ˈwɪljəm ˈsuɚd ˈbɜɹoʊz/), dit William S. Burroughs, né le 5 février 1914 à Saint-Louis au 4664 de Pershing Avenue dans l'État du Missouri et mort le 2 août 1997 dans sa propriété de Lawrence (Kansas) de complications liées à une crise cardiaque, est un romancier et artiste américain. Principalement connu pour ses romans hallucinés mêlant drogue, homosexualité et anticipation, il est associé à la Beat Generation et à ses figures emblématiques : ses amis Jack Kerouac et Allen Ginsberg. Il a élaboré le cut-up, technique littéraire consistant à créer un texte à partir d'autres fragments textuels d'origines diverses.

Joan Vollmer (February 4, 1923 – September 6, 1951) was an American woman who was an influential participant in the early Beat Generation circle. While a student at Barnard College, she became the roommate of Edie Parker (later married to Jack Kerouac). Their apartment became a gathering place for the Beats during the 1940s, where Vollmer was often at the center of marathon, all-night discussions. In 1946, she began a relationship with William S. Burroughs, later becoming his common-law wife. In 1951, Burroughs killed Vollmer. He claimed, and shortly thereafter denied, the killing was a drunken attempt at playing William Tell.