William (Bill) S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch, and Hubert Selby Jr. (A.K.A Cubby), author of Requiem for a Dream, lived improbably long lives considering the damage they inflicted on their bodies via heroin addiction. As the rest of America gloried in the post-WW2 period of prosperity, comfort and conformity, Bill and Cubby explored the ghettos, underpasses and fringes of society, looking for the forgotten people—those cast off and dismissed as unworthy of the so-called American Dream. They were interested in the stories of the homosexuals, drag queens, sex workers, junkies, drunks and hustlers. Unlike the unlucky rest of us, Bill and Cubby became more relevant and cooler as they got older. Their radical subject matter and writing styles drew in new generations of fans and attracted notable figures from other creative fields; Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain idolised Bill, while Cubby counted among his fans punk personality Henry Rollins and Red Hot Chilli Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis.