William S. Burroughs' Ah Pook Is Here

William S. Burroughs' Ah Pook Is Here

by Armando Ortiz

This short film came to life via the collaboration of William S. Burroughs' recording of Ah Pook Is Here, which he wrote, and artist Philip Hunt, who made the book come alive with this short film. William S. Burroughs (February 1914-August 1997) is considered one of the great writers of the 20th century and one of the main creative forces behind the Beat Generation.

This is a fascinating critique of power and its uses. Burroughs uses Mayan gods as examples/representatives of contemporary symbols of war and destruction, without changing what pre-Hispanic societies believed these symbols to be. Rarely does one get the opportunity to find literature that includes Meso-American or Native American cosmology/myth in contemporary American culture discourse. I define American culture as being the collective cultures of North, Central and South American societies, which is like a multi-colored quilt of varying patterns and designs.This collective culture includes the cultures that existed in the Americas before its "discovery", and yes, this would include the Norsemen of Newfoundland, and all the European groups, along with African groups, as well Middle Eastern, and Asian groups that settled the Americas. The collective experiences shared by those born in these lands are closely linked with weather, geography and environment. Therefore to not look at what former societies perceived to be good and bad or what their beliefs were in these lands, is like ignoring the fact that water comes from our local mountains. It is essential to always be looking for ways to look at our contemporary life from different perspectives via History, Anthropology and Philosophy. Burroughs does a fantastic job at combining all those elements into his short writing. Never forget that the roads we walk on or drive on were walked on by others thousands of years ago. Enjoy.