The Adult Life of Toulouse Lautrec
Kathy Acker; illustrations by William Wegman.
New York: TRVT Press and Printed Matter, 1978. 16mo. Pictorial paper wraps. Black marker obscuring the cover design credit on the copyright page. 201 pages. First collected edition. Fine.
Originally self-published by the author in six installments in 1975. Postmodern avant la lettre, Acker borrows heavily from the cut-up technique popularized by William S. Burroughs and the sexual themes explored by Marguerite Duras. A bad animal extraordinaire. Surreal punk erotica in immaculate condition, just waiting to get used.
"The neon lights were blinking at me, winking, inviting hot desires I had never known existed. In one dark alleyway, seven naked women are waiting to slowly peel off my clothes. One has her tongue under my left arm. One has her hand buried in the soft flesh of my thigh. Hot. There's a woman waiting for me who's madly in love with me. In fact she can't live without me. Every waking minute of the day she sees my face . . . hovering in front of her eyes, my hands tangled in, pressing, messing her wet cunt hairs. She dreams that I'm wet: my thighs are pillars. Joined at the top. Water streaks down their insides. I'm so wet and anxious that sweat's pouring out of me. 'Come get me,' I whisper to her. 'Come get me and handle me.'"