Kathy Acker books in order
American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet
- Lived
- 1947–1997
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 21
Kathy Acker published 13 novels, 2 novellas, 2 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 2 other books, beginning with Blood and Guts in High School, Plus Two (1984).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Kathy Acker
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Blood and Guts in High School, Plus Two
Kathy Acker's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Adult Life of Toulouse (1975)
Blood and Guts in High School (1984)
Blood and Guts in High School, Plus Two (1984)
Don Quixote, Which Was a Dream (1986)
Empire of the Senseless (1988)
In Memoriam to Identity (Acker, Kathy) (1990)
Kathy Goes to Haiti (1990)
My Mother (1993)
Pussy, King of the Pirates (1996)
Eurydice in the Underworld (1997)
Portrait of an Eye (1997)
Essential Acker (2002)
Rip-off Red, Girl Detective and the Burning Bombing of America (2002)
Novellas in order
Childlike Life of the Black Tarantula (1975)
Pussycat Fever (1995)
Short story collections in order
The Seven Cardinal Virtues (1990)
Hannibal Lecter, My Father (1991)
Non-fiction in order
Bodies of Work (1997)
Kathy Acker: The Last Interview (2019)
Other books in order
I Dreamt I Was a Nymphomaniac Imagining (1980)
Algeria (1984)
About Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, critic, performance artist, and postmodernist writer, known for her idiosyncratic and transgressive writing that dealt with complex themes such as childhood trauma, sexuality, language, identity, and rebellion. Her writing incorporates pastiche and the cut-up technique, involving cutting-up and scrambling passages and sentences; she also defined her writing as existing in the post-nouveau roman European tradition. In her texts, she combines biographical elements, power, sex and violence.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Kathy Acker FAQ
- How many books has Kathy Acker written?
- Kathy Acker published 13 novels, 2 novellas, 2 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Kathy Acker's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Blood and Guts in High School, Plus Two.
- What is Kathy Acker's last book?
- Portrait of an Eye (1997).
- What is Kathy Acker's most famous book?
- Blood and Guts in High School, Plus Two (1984) is Kathy Acker's most widely read book.
Authors like Kathy Acker
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.