Finley, Karen (Jacobs, Brian)

Enough is Enough: Weekly Meditations For Living Dysfunctionally

ISBN: 067187182X
New York, NY, USA: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1993. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Inscribed & signed by Karen Finley to Brian Jacobs, & with autograph "meditation" by Finley. "As soon as you told me it wasn't good for me - it tasted so much better" (unpaginated). Enough is Enough: Weekly Meditations for Living Dysfunctionally by American poet, musician & educator Karen Finley (b. 1956) is a humorous and satirical take on self-help and daily meditation. It features fifty-two entries that offer practical advice on living dysfunctionally, such as "Bragging," "Buying Things You Don't Need" and "Being a Bitch." Finley's rudimentary illustrations throughout the book are childlike and designed to provoke laughter and self-reflection. Enough is Enough: Weekly Meditations for Living Dysfunctionally aims to challenge conventional norms and encourage readers to embrace their quirks and dysfunctions, making it a unique and engaging read for those interested in unconventional perspectives on life. Her work frequently uses nudity & profanity and incorporates depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement. Born in Chicago, IL, Finley was notably one of the "NEA Four," four performance artists including John Fleck (b. 1951), Holly Hughes (b. 1955) & Tim Miller (b. 1958) whose grants from the National Endowment for the Arts were vetoed in 1990 by chairman John Frohnmayer (b. 1942) after the process was condemned by American senator Jesse Helms (1921- 2008) under "decency" issues. The case, National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley (1998), argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, was decided against Finley and the other artists. The Supreme Court found that decency does not certainly interfere with the First Amendment right to free expression and does not violate the Fifth Amendment's void for vagueness provision. Finley's first book Shock Treatment was published in 1990 shortly after her first trial by none other than Lawrence Ferlinghetti's (1919-2021) City Light Books, who had a similiar snafu with the Supreme Court for publishing Allen Ginsberg's (1926-1997) "Howl and Other Poems" in 1956 (see Item No. 8589). From the library of Brian Jacobs (b. 1969), a most-distinguished author, publisher & educator who attended the fabled Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado during the 1990s, where he was the student of its co-founders Anne Waldman (b. 1945) & Allen Ginsberg & was appointed by Ginsberg as his official assistant in the later period of his attendance. Jacobs has gone on to ever-greater heights as a True Beat Progeny, & we have been privileged to obtain and present this stellar collection. At verso of first half-title page, Finley has inscribed in cerulean blue ink a meditation for Jacobs: "Small canvases | old pictures | beards | leather strands | do a piece a day," enveloped by a hand-drawn heart. At recto of second half-title page, Finley has inscribed & signed to Jacobs in cerulean blue ink: "To | Brain [sic], | love | (signed) Karen Finley." Small-Format Hardcover in Illustrated Boards without Dust Jacket As Issued: First Edition though not stated as such at copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. A most collectible Finley production in its rarest contemporary form, greatly enriched by the poet-to-poet inscriptions & signature with relevant association & very distinguished provenance. In relatively very fine condition with mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine; very mild bumping to edges & corners of same; mild age-toning and some very mild occasions of spot-staining to text block. Interior very fine with very mild age-toning to some page leaves; dog-earring to upper corner of page with entry "Make Fun of Someone Today" on recto and an illustration on verso. Very Fine. [Item #8590]

Price: $50.00 save 15% $42.50