An Archive of Materials by and about Jacques Stern
Including the Complete Text of The Fluke
In the summer of 1959, with Olympia Press about to publish the first edition of Naked Lunch in Paris, William Burroughs was raving about the work of another writer. Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso — they all paled, Burroughs declared, in comparison with an unknown who was possibly “the greatest writer of our time.” He was rich and eccentric, this newcomer. He was a cripple and a junky. He was capable of great generosity and abusive tantrums. He could be unnervingly eloquent and equally incomprehensible. Burroughs took to calling him “the mad baron.”
His name was Jacques Stern. Corso introduced him to Burroughs at the Beat Hotel, and he went on to become legend among an international group of cognoscenti. But what became of Stern and The Fluke, the novel that elicited such praise from Burroughs? Why did this book never see light of day? (Or did it?)
Drawing on more than a year of research that includes personal interviews and unpublished material from the Burroughs archive at the New York Public Library, RealityStudio attempts to answer these and other questions about Jacques Stern. RealityStudio is especially pleased to announce that it is making available, for the first time ever, the complete text of The Fluke, along with William Burroughs’ introduction. In addition, RealityStudio is publishing other exclusive material by and about “the mad baron.”
The Fluke
- William Burroughs, Jacques Stern, and The Fluke
- William Burroughs’ Introduction to The Fluke
- Jacques Stern, The Fluke
Text and Audio by and about Jacques Stern
- Jacques Stern, Poems
- Stewart Meyer, Memory Chips (Excerpt)
- Jacques Stern in Conversation with Stewart Meyer (mp3)
- Jaques Stern and William Burroughs Reading Cut-Ups in Paris, May 1962
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to James Grauerholz, Dr Joseph Gross, Stewart Meyer, Mark Meyer, Oliver Harris, Jan Herman, Carl Weissner, Victor Bockris, Malcolm Mc Neill, Allan Bradbury, and Jed Birmingham.
Permissions
William Burroughs’ introduction to The Fluke: © 1965 by the Estate of William S. Burroughs, used with the permission of The Wylie Agency.
Scans of William Burroughs’ manuscript introduction to The Fluke: Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
Stewart Meyer’s Memory Chips: Excerpt provided by the author, © 2011 by Stewart Meyer.
Audio of Jacques Stern and William Burroughs reading cut-ups in Paris: © 1961, 1966 by the Estate of William S. Burroughs, used with the permission of The Wylie Agency. Recorded by Sean Sweeney for the Poetry Room in Paris on May 24, 1962. MP3s provided by the Woodberry Poetry Room, Houghton Library, Harvard University. These three mp3s are excerpted from an hour-long reading that includes nine total tracks.
Jacques Stern in Conversation with Stewart Meyer: Excerpted from a longer recorded provided by Stewart Meyer. © 2011 by Stewart Meyer.
What a treasure trove! i’ve been searching for jacques stern’s work and stories for years. the bits in literary outlaw i figured would be all i’d ever find. the man was such a mystery. my hat is off to reality studio once again for delivering the goods. i’ll savor each one of these pieces. many thanks, and thanks to the others who helped to compile these rare & fascinating documents.
Outstanding work!
Johnny’s term – treasure trove – describes it best!
Thank you to Reality Studio and all involved with the presentation of this marvellous material!
never thought I’d find out anything more regarding the mysterious Stern and now this. Very considerate of you guys to post this stuff. And to think that he was in NYC all that time. Thanks for this.
I became involved in Jacques Stern’s life inadvertently in NYC in the 1970s. He was a supreme category of monster; so unique a corrupter of people as to be unparalleled in this distinction. There he reigned in his suite of rooms, barren of furniture, ensconced in his satin, gold-sheeted bed, surrounded by the litter of used syringes. By turns taciturn and explosive, the life he lived was one of self-willed aberration. His “marginalization ” in the historical record of the Beats is a legacy earned.
I knew Jacques Stern in Spain ’69…quite a character. He used to come into the smugglers saloon with his spanish wife who’d shoot ’em up with morphine every once in awhile.
Any photos of Jacques Stern available?
Nathan,
there’s only one photo which I found Jacques Stein in it. Photo is taken in St Tropez (1961) and there are Corso, Orlovsky and Ginsberg with him.
https://rspull-supervert.netdna-ssl.com/images/people/jacques_stern/stern.corso.orlovsky.ginsberg.1961.jpg
Curious as the what people think of The Fluke. It’s a demanding read. I jumped in at various points and read a few pages but found it hard to stick with.
Do you think it deserved Burroughs’ praise?
Really happy to read. Stern sticks out in my memory after reading WSB’s biography. I’m gonna keep trying to get thru more of The Fluke.
As the person who researched and wrote this piece — locating the first known copy of The Fluke in the process — I admit I found the text disappointing to read. Or more precisely, I found it disappointing as a work of literature. I found it interesting as a document from a critical time in Burroughs history.
As for Burroughs’ gushing estimate of the book, I wonder if it was just a sign of the heady times in the Beat hotel. Or perhaps it was due to the drugs. Or it was a testament to Stern’s manic charisma. Or all of the above.
Finding this is a real boon to Burroughs studies, so kudos and thanks.
I didn’t know what to expect so not overly disappointed. It conforms to how I’d heard it described. But it’s no great shakes and like I said, for me anyway, hard to stick with.
Burroughs and his praise. All of the above. :) When he liked something, he went all in. I respect Gysin, but not sure he deserved the line from Burroughs that “Gysin was the only person I ever respected.” Burroughs tended to be very effusive when he liked something.
Burroughs took everything to the 9th degree. I think others can corroborate, but aren’t there like more than one archive of cut-ups with 10k + pages? I think something of this obsessive approach to things and his high praise are linked in that both are heady and enthusiastic.
Thanks again. Gonna keep dipping into this.