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A review by lizardgoats
Philosophy for Spiders: On the Low Theory of Kathy Acker by McKenzie Wark
5.0
I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble on a whim. I'd never heard of Kathy Acker, but the title--paired with the cover image--spoke of a book too cool to pass up. And as I quickly dove into the text itself, I knew I'd found a book that would change everything.
Written by a former lover, "Philosophy for Spiders" details Acker's life and writing and how it fits into the punk, queer, and feminist movements of the 70s-80s. But in many ways, it's also a memoir about McKenzie Wark herself--her transition and gender journey--and how Acker played an important role in her life. Not only when Acker was alive, but posthumously as well.
Wark describes Acker's writing as philosophy, theory--less novels and more "big chunks of prose"--purposefully juxtaposed against the traditional "daddies" of philosopjy, like Plato. So rather than high theory, it's low. A philosophy for artists, punks, prostitutes, pirates, sailors, knights, and poets. For those on the margins.
Acker's writing is often crass and Wark doesn't shy away from this. I don't know if I'd even qualify it as startling. There's a freedom in reading about the body in a stark and unadorned manner. The margins of society--where Acker and Wark have both lived--are often viseral. And there's beauty in freely discussing the body, sex work, disease, and trauma. Acker's not afraid of subjects that are often considered taboo.
Wark isn't either. She's frank about her past relationship with Acker. Goes into quite a bit of detail, often quoting the myriad emails they exchanged over the course of their friendship. The whole book is honestly an amazing read--even if, like me, you've never read ANY of Acker's works. I found that it only inspired me to learn more about Acker, her life, and early death from cancer.
I'm not sure how to describe how reading "Philosophy for Spiders" changed me. Acker's descriptions of bodybuilding and gender really resonated. And Wark's own journey--as told through the Acker-lens--feels like a necessary viewpoint in today's anti-LGBTQ climate. It definitely wasn't an easy read (took me six months to finish) but for the first time in decades I found myself having a conversation in the margins of a text. Writing my own marginalia.
And that's not insignificant. It's practically low theory embodied. The everyday. The nobody. Figuratively and literally in the margins. I cannot recommend this book--or any of Acker's works--enough.
Written by a former lover, "Philosophy for Spiders" details Acker's life and writing and how it fits into the punk, queer, and feminist movements of the 70s-80s. But in many ways, it's also a memoir about McKenzie Wark herself--her transition and gender journey--and how Acker played an important role in her life. Not only when Acker was alive, but posthumously as well.
Wark describes Acker's writing as philosophy, theory--less novels and more "big chunks of prose"--purposefully juxtaposed against the traditional "daddies" of philosopjy, like Plato. So rather than high theory, it's low. A philosophy for artists, punks, prostitutes, pirates, sailors, knights, and poets. For those on the margins.
Acker's writing is often crass and Wark doesn't shy away from this. I don't know if I'd even qualify it as startling. There's a freedom in reading about the body in a stark and unadorned manner. The margins of society--where Acker and Wark have both lived--are often viseral. And there's beauty in freely discussing the body, sex work, disease, and trauma. Acker's not afraid of subjects that are often considered taboo.
Wark isn't either. She's frank about her past relationship with Acker. Goes into quite a bit of detail, often quoting the myriad emails they exchanged over the course of their friendship. The whole book is honestly an amazing read--even if, like me, you've never read ANY of Acker's works. I found that it only inspired me to learn more about Acker, her life, and early death from cancer.
I'm not sure how to describe how reading "Philosophy for Spiders" changed me. Acker's descriptions of bodybuilding and gender really resonated. And Wark's own journey--as told through the Acker-lens--feels like a necessary viewpoint in today's anti-LGBTQ climate. It definitely wasn't an easy read (took me six months to finish) but for the first time in decades I found myself having a conversation in the margins of a text. Writing my own marginalia.
And that's not insignificant. It's practically low theory embodied. The everyday. The nobody. Figuratively and literally in the margins. I cannot recommend this book--or any of Acker's works--enough.