Audiobook 03 – Majoun and Manuscript

Audiobook 03 – Majoun and Manuscript

From Psychedelic Salon by Lorenzo Hagerty

September 25, 2025 · 4h 50m

About this episode

The episode explores the intersection of traditional North African wisdom and experimental American writing through the story of a young Moroccan fixer in 1957 Tangier.

Support Lorenzo on Patreon.com PROGRAM NOTES: Tangier, 1957. William Burroughs is creating Naked Lunch in the port city where traditional hashish preparations flow as freely as mint tea, and every transaction crosses cultural boundaries. Through the eyes of a young Moroccan fixer who navigates between worlds we witness the birth of ideas that would reshape consciousness and art. This is the untold story behind the famous line "language is a virus": a tale of how traditional North African wisdom practices intersected with experimental American writing, how words spread through cultural networks like contagions, and how the most revolutionary ideas often travel through the most ancient channels. Fiction grounded in research and respect, "Majoun & Manuscript" explores what happens when consciousness expansion meets cultural appropriation, when preservation becomes violation, and when a young translator must choose between using language to control or to protect. Majoun & Manuscript: A Tale from the Interzone - PDF Edition

People in this episode

Host: Lorenzo Hagerty

Topics covered

  • cultural boundaries
  • consciousness expansion
  • cultural appropriation
  • experimental writing
  • North African wisdom
  • language and control

Keywords

  • William Burroughs
  • Naked Lunch
  • Tangier
  • Majoun & Manuscript
  • cultural appropriation
  • consciousness expansion
  • hashish
  • language
  • cultural networks

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Naked Lunch, Majoun & Manuscript

Places: Tangier

More episodes of Psychedelic Salon

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Psychedelic Salon podcast page.