Blood and Guts in High School: A Novel“Kathy Acker’s writing is virtuoso, maddening, crazy, so sexy, so painful, and beaten out of a wild heart that nothing can tame. Acker is a landmark writer.” —Jeanette Winterson, New York Times–bestselling author A masterpiece of surrealist fiction, steeped in controversy upon its first publication in 1984, Blood and Guts in High School is the book that established Kathy Acker as the preeminent voice of post-punk feminism. With 2017 marking the 70th anniversary of her birth, as well as the 10th year since her death this transgressive work of philosophical, political, and sexual insight—with a new introduction by Chris Kraus—continues to become more relevant than ever before. In the Mexican city of Merida, ten-year-old Janey lives with Johnny—her “boyfriend, brother, sister, money, amusement, and father” —until he leaves her for another woman. Bereft, Janey travels to New York City, plunging into an underworld of gangs and prostitution. After escaping imprisonment, she flees to Tangiers where she meets Jean Genet, and they begin a torrid affair that will lead Janey to her demise. Fantastical, sensual, and fearlessly radical, this hallucinatory collage is both a comic and tragic portrait of erotic awakening. “The girl in this story had more agency and voice than any girl I’d ever read or would read in my entire life.” —Lydia Yuknavitch, national bestselling author of Thrust “No writer I know is more audacious than Kathy Acker, whose anarchic wit drives a thoroughgoing attack on conventions and complacencies of all sorts. Not unlike Gertrude Stein in her day, Acker gives us a different way to look at the uses to which language is put.” —Lynne Tillman, author of Men and Apparitions |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 43
Page
... fuck him . " By then , Gordon and Acker had long been living separate lives . " Kathy had her own life and I had my own life , with Kathy in it , " Gordon recalls . " The relationship was not going to change , and I was now marked as a ...
... fuck him . " By then , Gordon and Acker had long been living separate lives . " Kathy had her own life and I had my own life , with Kathy in it , " Gordon recalls . " The relationship was not going to change , and I was now marked as a ...
Page
... fuck me ... I want everything . I want to go out in the world as far as I can go . " And later , as she tells her fellow slave Sahih , while imprisoned in a compound in Alexandria , " I have to work as hard as possible so I can get ...
... fuck me ... I want everything . I want to go out in the world as far as I can go . " And later , as she tells her fellow slave Sahih , while imprisoned in a compound in Alexandria , " I have to work as hard as possible so I can get ...
Page
... fuck . Janey was also very pretty , but she was kind of weird - looking because one of her eyes was lopsided . Janey ... fucking . Janey ( not at all calming herself down by listening to what he's saying . He knows her energy rises ...
... fuck . Janey was also very pretty , but she was kind of weird - looking because one of her eyes was lopsided . Janey ... fucking . Janey ( not at all calming herself down by listening to what he's saying . He knows her energy rises ...
Page
... fuck . You know that . I've never acted like this before . Father : I know . Janey : I'm just scared you're going to leave me . I know I've been shitty to you : I've fucked around too much ; I didn't introduce you to my friends . Father ...
... fuck . You know that . I've never acted like this before . Father : I know . Janey : I'm just scared you're going to leave me . I know I've been shitty to you : I've fucked around too much ; I didn't introduce you to my friends . Father ...
Page
... fucks him even though it hurts her like hell ' cause of her Pelvic Inflammatory Disease . The following poem is by ... fucked Janey , but his cock was too big . Janey knew he'd tell her what was happening with Johnny , if Johnny was ...
... fucks him even though it hurts her like hell ' cause of her Pelvic Inflammatory Disease . The following poem is by ... fucked Janey , but his cock was too big . Janey knew he'd tell her what was happening with Johnny , if Johnny was ...
Contents
The Scorpions | |
Outside high school | |
The mysterious Mr Linker | |
Translating | |
A journey to the end of the night | |
In Egypt the | |
A second of time | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Acker anymore asked beautiful beaver Bill Blood and Guts body boomp boomp Café Catullus cause cock cooky cops crazy cunt dead death Dimwit dreams East River East Village ERICA JONG everything eyes Ezafe Fat Lady Father feel Fritzy gaol garbage Genet girl grey hand happening hate Hawthorne hell Hester hippy horrible huge hurt inside Janey Janey's Jean Genet Kathy Acker kill knew Knockwurst legs live look Lousy Mindless Salesgirl menstrual extraction Merida mind never night pain President Carter prison rock-n-roll Sahih scared scream shit Slave Trader sleep slum snow someone stick stinks stop streets SUCK ME SUCK talk about Sally Tangier tell there's thing tiny told turned walk walls want to fuck what's whore wild woman women است این پنجره جانی خانه سیاه هست