Ghost of Chance
Encyclopedia
Ghost of Chance is an adventure novella
by William S. Burroughs
. The story was first published in 1991 in a special limited edition by the Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art
; this was followed by a mass market hardcover edition in 1995 by High Risk Books
and a paperback edition published after Burroughs' death.
The novella, set in Madagascar
, initially focuses on a character named Captain Mission, founder of the pirate colony Libertatia
, and is described on the back cover of the 1995 edition as being "an important story about environmental devastation."
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
. The story was first published in 1991 in a special limited edition by the Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
; this was followed by a mass market hardcover edition in 1995 by High Risk Books
High Risk Books
High Risk Books was founded in New York City in 1993, as an imprint of Serpent's Tail Press of London. Started by Ira Silverberg and Amy Scholder, who was then an editor at City Lights Books in San Francisco. High Risk Books was dedicated to publishing innovative, provocative, and progressive...
and a paperback edition published after Burroughs' death.
The novella, set in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, initially focuses on a character named Captain Mission, founder of the pirate colony Libertatia
Libertatia
Libertatia is said to have been a libertarian communalist colony founded in the late 17th century in Madagascar by pirates under the leadership of Captain James Misson. Whether or not Libertatia actually existed is disputed...
, and is described on the back cover of the 1995 edition as being "an important story about environmental devastation."