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The Process (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Process is a novel by Brion Gysin
which was published in 1969. Gysin was a painter and composer, and also collaborated with Beat Generation
author William S. Burroughs
on many occasions. The Process was his first full-length novel.
Described by The Overlook Press
(which published a posthumous edition in 1987) as "a powerfully psychological novel", The Process tells the story of a professor named Ulys O. Hanson who sets out on a pilgrimage across the Sahara Desert which turns out to be a hallucinatory experience.
The Process is also the name given to an unrelated 1960s magical organization which is known as The Process Church of the Final Judgment. The Process is notable not only for its evocative and poetic descriptions of the Sahara Desert and Sufi culture, but also for the history it documents. Most notably, Gysin's encounters with L. Ron Hubbard
and The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
The Process features Thay and Mya Himmer, who are based on John and Mary Cooke, a couple who financed Gysin's 1001 Nights restaurant in Tangier. John Starr Cooke
gave Gysin the large emerald which features as the Seal of the Sahara.
Brion Gysin
Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs...
which was published in 1969. Gysin was a painter and composer, and also collaborated with Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
author 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...
on many occasions. The Process was his first full-length novel.
Described by The Overlook Press
The Overlook Press
The Overlook Press is an American independent publishing house based in New York. It was formed in 1971 by Peter Mayer, who had previously worked at Avon and Penguin Books, where he was CEO from 1978 to 1998. A general-interest publisher, Overlook has over one thousand titles in print, including...
(which published a posthumous edition in 1987) as "a powerfully psychological novel", The Process tells the story of a professor named Ulys O. Hanson who sets out on a pilgrimage across the Sahara Desert which turns out to be a hallucinatory experience.
The Process is also the name given to an unrelated 1960s magical organization which is known as The Process Church of the Final Judgment. The Process is notable not only for its evocative and poetic descriptions of the Sahara Desert and Sufi culture, but also for the history it documents. Most notably, Gysin's encounters with L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
and The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
The Process features Thay and Mya Himmer, who are based on John and Mary Cooke, a couple who financed Gysin's 1001 Nights restaurant in Tangier. John Starr Cooke
John Starr Cooke
John Starr Cooke was an American mystic and spiritual teacher who influenced the development of the counter-culture movement that emerged in San Francisco during 1966 1967. His teachings were based on the doctrine of “One consciousness”, which Cooke believed was communicated to him through a...
gave Gysin the large emerald which features as the Seal of the Sahara.