Kathy Acker Collections books in order

Q: "What is Bodies of Work by Kathy Acker?"

"*Bodies of Work: Essays* (1996) collects Acker's critical writing on topics including bodybuilding, tattoo culture, the Spice Girls, and experimental literature. It shows a different side of Acker from her fiction."

Q: "What is in Kathy Acker: Unpublished Early Writings?"

"Published in 2019, this collection gathers previously unavailable early work from the late 1960s and early 1970s, offering a look at Acker's development before her first published novels."

Q: "What is Hannibal Lecter, My Father about?"

"*Hannibal Lecter, My Father* (1991) is a short fiction collection that takes its title from a piece riffing on Thomas Harris's character. The collection shows Acker's characteristic mixing of pop culture references with personal narrative."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Young Lust	1989	Kathy Acker	Buy
2	Hannibal Lecter, My Father	1991	Kathy Acker	Buy
3	Bodies of Work: Essays	1996	Kathy Acker	Buy
4	Kathy Acker: Unpublished Early Writings	2019	Kathy Acker	Buy

Kathy Acker’s collections gather her shorter fiction, essays, and early unpublished material. Young Lust (1989) compiles several of her shorter works. Hannibal Lecter, My Father (1991) is a collection of short fiction that borrows from pop culture figures and literary sources in Acker’s typical style.

Bodies of Work: Essays (1996) is her only dedicated essay collection, covering subjects from bodybuilding and tattoo culture to literary criticism. It was published the year before her death and gives a useful window into her thinking about art, the body, and language. The posthumous Kathy Acker: Unpublished Early Writings (2019) collects work from the late 1960s and early 1970s that predates her first novel, filling in the period when she was developing the methods that would define her career.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bodies of Work by Kathy Acker?

Bodies of Work: Essays (1996) collects Acker’s critical writing on topics including bodybuilding, tattoo culture, the Spice Girls, and experimental literature. It shows a different side of Acker from her fiction.

What is in Kathy Acker: Unpublished Early Writings?

Published in 2019, this collection gathers previously unavailable early work from the late 1960s and early 1970s, offering a look at Acker’s development before her first published novels.

What is Hannibal Lecter, My Father about?

Hannibal Lecter, My Father (1991) is a short fiction collection that takes its title from a piece riffing on Thomas Harris’s character. The collection shows Acker’s characteristic mixing of pop culture references with personal narrative.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order