Scholars, artists and writers consider the works of the most transgressive literary icon of the late 20th century. Kathy Acker was one of the most original, subversive and influential writers of the late 20th century. Known variously, and notoriously, as a consummate postmodernist, feminist, post-punk and plagiarist, her oeuvre--over a dozen novels and novellas--has inspired a generation of writers and artists. "Lust for Life" is the definitive collection of essays on Acker's inimitable work, including Peter Wollen's elegiac primer, widely considered the best introduction to Acker, and Avital Ronell's erudite meditation on friendship and mourning. Together these essays by scholars and writers reveal Acker's profound and innovative project, and the ways in which fiction can penetrate the heart of political and cultural life. Contributors include Nayland Blake, Leslie Dick, Robert Gluck, Carla Harryman, Laurence Rickels, Avital Ronell, Barrett Watten, and Peter Wollen.