When Mallika from Literary PotPourri announced she was hosting Reading the Meow, a week focusing on books pertaining to cats, I was keen to take part; after all, as a vegan I’m obviously something of an animal lover, and although I probably prefer dogs overall, I do like moggies too! As I mentioned in my May round-up post, I had a bit of a dig in the stacks and couldn’t find anything that obvious to begin with. I had had high hopes of something from Beverley Nichols but there was nothing obvious; and time was against a re-read of my beloved “The Master and Margarita”. However, a quick search online revealed an unexpected title, in the form of “The Cat Inside” by William S. Burroughs; the latter is an author I read mainly in my teens and twenties, although I *have* have some enjoyable encounters with his writing more recently. A rummage on the Beat shelves disclosed that I did indeed own a copy – and it turned out to be the perfect choice for the event!
Burroughs is really not the kind of author you might expect to write a book about animals; he’s known for hard-edged books like “Naked Lunch”, “Junkie” and the like, exploring the use of cut-ups for writing, and so a more straightforward work dealing with his relationship with cats is probably going to surprise some readers. However, having discovered a more lyrical side in him on recent reads, I didn’t find this so unexpected…
The ancient Egyptians went into mourning for the loss of a cat and shaved their eyebrowns. And why shouldn’t the loss of a cat be as poignant and heartfelt as any loss? Small deaths are the saddest…
“The Cat Inside” was first published in limited edition in 1986; my copy is a fuller Viking issue from 1992, and in it, Burroughs explores the cats of his life, how he came across them, the effect they had on him and the sense of loss he feels when they pass out of his life (in whatever fashion). He states early in the book that in the past few years he has become a dedicated cat-lover, and the pages are brimfull of love for Ruski, Ed, Fletch and the many other cats he has loved. Burroughs writes lyrically about his companions and in these pages, the tough writer who often wielded a gun shows himself most unexpectedly to be an animal lover – other small creatures also earn his affection and for example he robustly condemns fox hunting. He’s not so fond of dogs, alas…
Lest you should think this is an entirely saccharine book, I can assure you it isn’t; Burroughs is nothing if not a realist and there are darker parts which acknowledge the brutal aspects of nature and animals. Nature *is* red in tooth and claw, and cats are carnivorous creatures, so there is by necessity some bloodshed; it wouldn’t be an honest book about cats if that were not the case. However, an interesting angle is when Burroughs shares his thoughts on the way the natural world is going, displaying an early awareness of, and meditations on, ecological change; his references to this being a doomed planet are surprisingly timely.
As the forests fall to make way for motels and Hiltons and McDonald’s, the whole magic universe is dying.
That aside, “The Cat Inside” is a lovely, affecting read, which as well as recording the author’s love of his feline companions, also explores his past; that mingling of memories and autobiographical fragments is an element I picked up in my more recent reads of his work, and he looks back to his early years at times in the book, to his childhood, school days and life in Tangiers. It seems there’s been a cat presence around for a good part of Burroughs’ life.
I can’t be sure if I’ve actually read “The Cat Inside” before, as I’ve obviously had it a long time and I’m not sure now of the source of my copy; it may have come via a penfriend in New York, back in the day, but intriguingly my book has a very strange inclusion:
Now, I’ve seen currency being defaced quite recently, for propaganda purposes, in the excellent Richard Clay documentary “21st Century Mythologies“; and I suspect that this must have been a much earlier example of that! Not quite sure why, or what the person wanted to achieve – but it was a useful bookmark, if nothing else!!! 🤣🤣
That aside, I absolutely loved “The Cat Inside”; I’m finding that exploring Burroughs’ less well known work is always a rewarding experience, and this book was a particularly lovely read. I’m so glad that Literary PotPourri decided to host this event, as I never would have thought to pick this book off the shelf, and it was a joy to have an excuse to go back to a favourite author!
Lory
Jun 14, 2023 @ 07:21:05
Sounds lovely! I have no prior connection to Burroughs whatever, but I can tell he’s a kindred spirit in terms of cats. Some unexpected gems are turning up through this event.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:48:49
It certainly was an unexpected book to come from his pen, as his writings are pretty hard-edged and often violent. But his love of cats really shines through in this one!
Lisa Hill
Jun 14, 2023 @ 07:23:45
What a curious bookmark!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:48:10
It was certainly an odd thing to find in a book!!!
Maureen Murphy
Jun 14, 2023 @ 19:27:06
As they say online: “I AM NOT A CAT.”
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 20:04:43
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Indeed!
wadholloway
Jun 14, 2023 @ 07:52:54
I’m envious that you have Beat “shelves”. The best I can manage is half of one shelf.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:47:55
Well, I’ve been reading them since my teens so I *have* amassed a few… 😉
mallikabooks15
Jun 14, 2023 @ 08:30:54
I’m glad this proved to be a rewarding read, and I like that besides the cats themselves, this seems to go into nature and environmental concerns as well. I’ve never read Burroughs but his cat reflections seem a place I’d like to start. Thank you for joining in 🙂
I think I’ve been both a cat and dog person always. The first ‘pet’ I tried to adopt (a teacher at my school at the time offered and of course I pounced) was a little black kitten but at that point my mother wasn’t comfortable having one since we lived in a flat so he was sent back the next day. When we did move into a house a few years later, it was a pup that my mom found to adopt and so a dog became my first ‘pet’, with cats having properly entered my home only over the last decade or so.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:47:30
It was a really lovely read (despite having some slightly more grim nature-y bits in it. Burroughs is perhaps an unusual cat lover, but his affection for them really shines through.
As for cats v. dogs, I do love both animals (all animals really as I’m vegan). But I would most likely choose a dog because I’m not so good with dead things…
mallikabooks15
Jun 14, 2023 @ 12:03:50
I can understand having had to bury many many poor little ‘presents’.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 14:56:39
Yes, it’s the only thing which puts me off having a cat…
Malvina Y
Jun 14, 2023 @ 08:52:51
Sounds like a great read. One ‘cat’ book I’ve truly enjoyed recently is ‘If Cats Disappeared From the World’ by Genki Kawamura, translated by Eric Selland. It surprised me, and I love that about books.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:42:49
It was a surprisingly lovely book! And thank you for the rec – I love to be surprised by a book too!!
wadholloway
Jun 14, 2023 @ 09:14:33
What I should add I guess is that my favourite cats books is TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats which I read and read to the kids until they got a cassette of the musical and that took over.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:42:17
Ah yes! I love that one too, and I wish I’d thought to pick it up!!!
JacquiWine
Jun 14, 2023 @ 09:43:30
Your comment about rummaging through your Beat shelves has me imagining your home as a kind of book lovers’ library with themed sections for the Beats, the French Revolutionaries and of course the Russians! This sounds like a great read, and it’s perfect for this themed event.
Just thinking about other books featuring cats…there’s a very distinctive feline (by the name of Claude) in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Something in Disguise, which I think you have in your TBR!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 11:41:56
LOL, tbh my shelves *are* a little like that as I tend to shelf by category – Viragos, Russians, women writers, sci fi, Beats etc – the theory is I should be able to find things but it doesn’t always work like that… This was a great read, though, and I was glad I was prompted to pick it up.
And that’s good to know about the EJH – another reason to get to it soon!!
Calmgrove
Jun 14, 2023 @ 12:00:40
What a serendipitous find, and a fascinating review!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 14, 2023 @ 14:57:02
Thanks Chris – I’m glad this one popped onto my radar because I did love it!
Julé Cunningham
Jun 15, 2023 @ 02:04:28
It’s easier to imagine William Burroughs with a couple of restless mountain lions and a panther or two than a menagerie of house cats…
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 15, 2023 @ 09:41:46
It is! So this book is perhaps a little unexpected, but very lovely and enjoyable!
Simon T
Jun 15, 2023 @ 12:51:04
This sounds wonderful! For some reason – maybe his reputation – I’d always assumed the title was a metaphor and there were no cats involved, so this is a nice surprise.
As for Bev – I was hoping to read his ABC and XYZ of Cats this week, but haven’t managed yet…
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 15, 2023 @ 15:46:09
It’s certainly a perhaps unexpected boo, given the kind of writing he’s known for – but he obviously has a huge and genuine love for cats.
And I was the same with Bev until I discovered I don’t own any of his cat books! 🤣
heavenali
Jun 15, 2023 @ 17:19:30
What a lovely sounding book, how reassuring that Burroughs disliked fox hunting so much, a pity he wasn’t keen on dogs though. It’s lovely when an author allows themselves to celebrate the animals they love, writers like Elizabeth von Arnim (dogs) and Sylvia Townsend Warner have done that. STW’s a collection of stories called The Cats Cradle Book, which would have suited this event perfectly.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 15, 2023 @ 19:40:15
Yes, it’s perhaps unlikely he should be such an animal lover, but very lovely. And I wish I’d realised about the STW – that would have been an ideal choice!
madamebibilophile
Jun 15, 2023 @ 21:40:58
I had no idea Burroughs was a cat lover! This sounds a lovely read. Like you, I’m generally an animal lover and so I resist the whole dog-person/cat-person split – I grew up with both and love them both. Currently I only have cats though as I live in a flat – they were feral rescues and thankfully both the rescue centre and my vet told me it would be too stressful for them to go outside again, so they are pampered indoor moggies and I don’t have to deal with any ‘presents’ they bring home, which I would absolutely hate!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 16, 2023 @ 11:37:31
It *is* a lovely read, and I do like the fact he was such an animal lover. I try not to discriminate as I love them all, but if I had a cat, I think it would definitely have to be an indoor kind!!!
bookbii
Jun 16, 2023 @ 06:56:01
Ha ha! I love that you have an entire Beat shelf! This sounds like a great find for cat week. Who knew Burroughs was such a fan. Lovely review.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 16, 2023 @ 11:30:59
Thank you, and tbh I probably have a couple of Beat shelves… 😉 And I’m so glad I found this one because I do love an excuse to return to Burroughs!
Brona's Books
Jun 19, 2023 @ 02:27:05
What on earth did Jane Fonda do?
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 19, 2023 @ 11:44:14
IDK! It’s most peculiar!!!!
Nira Ramachandran
Jun 20, 2023 @ 14:09:12
Thank you for introducing me to a new author. I had not heard of Burrows. Your review brings out the depth of feeling that he has for his cats “Small deaths are the saddest”. Indeed, they are. I’ll try to find it. Loved the bookmark, too. It’s surprising what pops out of long untouched books.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 20, 2023 @ 15:23:40
To be honest, this really isn’t typical of his writing – his books are often violent and hard-edged. But his genuine love for his animals shines through in the one. 😊
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