Icon

Celebrity gives us the opportunity to see some small part of ourselves writ large. Some public figures factor more prominently in our thoughts than others, maybe too much. We become fascinated, inspired, even repelled. In these daring essays, some of the most provocative writers of our time offer a private view on a public figure, and in doing so, reveal themselves.

Original essays:
• Mary Gaitskill on Linda Lovelace
• Rick Moody on Karen Dalton
• Johanna Fateman on Andrea Dworkin
• Hanne Blank on MFK Fisher
• Kate Zambreno on Kathy Acker
• Danielle Henderson on bell hooks
• Justin Vivian Bond on Karen Graham
• Jill Nelson on Aretha Franklin
• Zoe Pilger on Mary Gaitskill

"Porn, oysters, abjection: Icon, a smart plunge into fandom's sober fringe, will excite anyone who has ever harbored ambivalent and obsessive love for an idol. Uncanny affinities tie together the essays in this compelling collection, packed with surprising detours, punchy revelations, and a refreshing abundance of unconventionality. For the methods and intimacies of Icon, I feel a satisfying surge of kinship."
—Wayne Koestenbaum, author of My 1980s and Other Essays