Enlivening Power of Darkness:
The Writings of Susan Stryker
Introduction
Historian Susan Stryker is probably best known to many readers as the
editor of Gay by the Bay and the Transgender issue of
GLQ. But she is also the creator of some remarkable performance
pieces that deal with transgender theory, sexuality, gendered bodies,
and much more. It is a privilege to present two of these works to a wider
audience. In the audacity of their ideas and the visceral power of their
imagery, these works confirm Ms. Stryker as one of our most gifted
transsexual writers.
- The Surgeon Haunts My Dreams
- This provocative
series of fantasies surrounding sex reassignment surgery examines the
eroticism at the core of transsexual desire. "The Surgeon Haunts My
Dreams" was originally published under the title
"Pre-Operative" in TNT, Spring 1996.
- My Words To Victor Frankenstein Above The Village Of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage
- Ms. Stryker explores the evolution of her own feelings about transsexual embodiment and ultimately reclaims the word "monster" (!) for herself and for any transgender persons courageous enough to follow her path. A challenging but rewarding work, My Words... first appeared in Volume 1, #3 of GLQ.
Return To Selected Literature Page
© 1999 by Anne A. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. All rights reserved.