In late 1920, the Dadaist writer TrisÂtan Tzara wrote “dada manÂiÂfesto on feeÂble love and bitÂter love,” which includÂed a secÂtion called “To Make a Dadaist Poem,” and it gave these instrucÂtions:
Take a newsÂpaÂper.
Take some scisÂsors.
Choose from this paper an artiÂcle of the length you want to make your poem.
Cut out the artiÂcle.
Next careÂfulÂly cut out each of the words that makes up this artiÂcle and put them all in a bag.
Shake genÂtly.
Next take out each cutÂting one after the othÂer.
Copy conÂsciÂenÂtiousÂly in the order in which they left the bag.
The poem will resemÂble you.
And there you are — an infiÂniteÂly origÂiÂnal author of charmÂing senÂsiÂbilÂiÂty, even though unapÂpreÂciÂatÂed by the vulÂgar herd.
Decades latÂer, the Beat writer William S. BurÂroughs took this basic conÂcept and put his own twist on it. Between 1961 and 1964, BurÂroughs pubÂlished The Nova TrilÂoÂgy, a series of three experÂiÂmenÂtal novÂels fashÂioned with his own cut-up method. Often conÂsidÂered his definÂiÂtive work of cut-up writÂing, The Soft Machine, the first novÂel in the trilÂoÂgy, stitched togethÂer pages from a series of manÂuÂscripts that BurÂroughs himÂself wrote between 1953 and 1958.
You can watch BurÂroughs demonÂstratÂing his cut-up techÂnique above, and forÂevÂer find this clip in our colÂlecÂtion of CulÂturÂal Icons, which lets you see great writÂers, filmÂmakÂers, and thinkers talkÂing in their own words.
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RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Gus Van Sant Adapts William S. BurÂroughs: An EarÂly 16mm Short
William S. BurÂroughs Shoots ShakeÂspeare
William S. BurÂroughs’ ClayÂmaÂtion ChristÂmas Film
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