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
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... out within three weeks of its January 1984 publication . In an hour - long ITVS South Bank Show documentary devoted to Acker's work , arts broadcaster Melvyn Bragg announced her as the leader of a pack of a hard - edged.
... out within three weeks of its January 1984 publication . In an hour - long ITVS South Bank Show documentary devoted to Acker's work , arts broadcaster Melvyn Bragg announced her as the leader of a pack of a hard - edged.
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... its first publication , Blood and Guts speaks powerfully to us as a literary work , and as a reminder that the genre known as “ autofiction " was not a post - internet invention . Acker's wildly inventive , direct , deceptively ...
... its first publication , Blood and Guts speaks powerfully to us as a literary work , and as a reminder that the genre known as “ autofiction " was not a post - internet invention . Acker's wildly inventive , direct , deceptively ...
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... It's not like my sleeping around with all these art studs : when you sleep with your best friend , it's really , really heavy . Father : I know , Janey . Janey ( she. boyfriend , brother , sister , money , amusement , and father My cunt ...
... It's not like my sleeping around with all these art studs : when you sleep with your best friend , it's really , really heavy . Father : I know , Janey . Janey ( she. boyfriend , brother , sister , money , amusement , and father My cunt ...
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... it's as if a light turned on for me . You're the first joy I knew . Don't you understand ? Father ( silent ) . Janey : I just can't bear that you're leaving me : it's like a lance cutting my brain in two : it's the worst pain I've ever ...
... it's as if a light turned on for me . You're the first joy I knew . Don't you understand ? Father ( silent ) . Janey : I just can't bear that you're leaving me : it's like a lance cutting my brain in two : it's the worst pain I've ever ...
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... It's something very deep between them , but he's not going to leave you for Sally . Janey ( with even more hope ) : Then why's he acting this way ? I mean : he's talking about leaving me . Bill : Tell me exactly what's been happening ...
... It's something very deep between them , but he's not going to leave you for Sally . Janey ( with even more hope ) : Then why's he acting this way ? I mean : he's talking about leaving me . Bill : Tell me exactly what's been happening ...
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 | |
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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