After Kathy Acker

The legend and writings of American feminist writer Kathy Acker (1947-1997) - that of a rich girl, street punk, stripper and victim - is wrapped in mythologies. Nowadays Acker's legend has faded, making her writing more legible. In this first biography, Chris Kraus approaches Acker both as a writer and as a member of the artistic communities from which she emerged. The book traces the extreme discipline and literary strategies Acker used to develop her work, and the contradictions she longed to embody. Using archival research and conversations with colleagues and friends, Kraus describes the movement of Acker through some of the late twentieth century's most significant artistic enterprises.