In his novels, William S. Burroughs thoroughly analyzed the power structures of modern Western societies. In doing so, he developed a concept of power that is very similar in many respects to that of the French philosopher Michel Foucault.

This study highlights these previously little-noticed similarities through the reading of selected novels by Burroughs against the background of Foucault's theories. It becomes clear that both authors understand power not exclusively as a political, but as a cultural phenomenon that permeates all areas of social life and is characterized not only by repressive but above all by productive qualities.