Mark Fisher Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher (1968-2017) was an influential British writer and academic who made a significant impact in the realm of cultural and political theory. He was the co-founder of both Zero and Repeater Books, and his blog ‘k-punk’ was a defining piece of critical writing in the early noughties.

Fisher’s thought-provoking musings were published in various publications, including The Wire, Fact, Sight and Sound, and the New Statesman. He wrote three books in his lifetime, including the groundbreaking Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009). His last work was The Weird and the Eerie, published posthumously after Fisher’s death in January of that year.

Fisher was a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, where his theories on radical politics, music and popular culture were discussed and debated. Fisher left an indelible mark on the literary, political and cultural landscape, and his work continues to be remembered and appreciated.

Early and Personal Life

Born in the city of Leicester, Mark Fisher went on to be raised in the area of Loughborough, UK. His parents were of the working class, and conservative background; his mother cleaned, while his father worked as an engineer. Growing up, he was exposed to the post-punk led music press happening during the late era 1970s, such as NME, which combined music with film, fiction, and politics. These influences, alongside the relationship combining football and working class cultural values, manifested in his presence at the disaster in Hillsborough.

Fisher’s educational journey began with a Bachelor of Arts based degree from Hull University in Philosophy and English in 1989, followed by a PhD in ‘Flatline Constructs’ at the University of Warwick in 1999. During this period, Fisher was one of the founding key members of the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, and it was affiliated with accelerationist political theory, as well as the work of Nick Land and Sadie Plant. His association with Kode9, who went on to form the Hyperdub record label, began at this time as well. Additionally, Fisher made music under the name D-Generation, who released their 12″ vinyl ‘Entropy in the UK.’

Mark Fisher sadly passed away in 2017 after a lifelong battle with depression, but his legacy in the world of cultural theory and music will continue to live on.

Writing Career

Mark Fisher was an influential British writer, theorist, and critic whose work focused on the ideological effects of neoliberalism on contemporary culture. Throughout his career, Fisher held a variety of academic positions, including a visiting fellowship at Goldsmiths College, a commissioning editor for Zero Books, along with working as an editorial board member for ‘Interference,’ and an acting deputy editor for The Wire.

His 2009 title, Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?, explored the ideological effects of capitalism, while his 2014 book Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures examined the concept of hauntology as an artistic mode of exploring lost futures and pushing against the limits of capitalist realism. Fisher was also known for popularizing the concepts of “the weird” and “the eerie” in literature and art, and his posthumous book The Weird and the Eerie explored these concepts through various works of art. He was also planning to write a book about Acid Communism, which was posthumously published in 2018.

Fisher was a critic of call-out culture, and his 2013 essay “Exiting the Vampire Castle” posited that it established a space where achieving solidarity was impossible, and only fear and guilt were ever omnipresent. Tragically, Fisher took his own life in 2017, and since then his influence on contemporary culture has been widely acknowledged.

Capitalist Realism

Written by Mark Fisher and published on November 27, 2009 by Zero Books, ‘Capitalist Realism’ is a stand-alone non-fiction title, discussing the cultural conditions of contemporary capitalism. It includes topics such as media, education, and politics, from a Marxist perspective. The book has been highly influential in both academic and activist circles.

Mark Fisher’s book ‘Capitalist Realism’ examines the effects of capitalism on our society since 1989. Fisher argues that capitalism has become a ‘default setting’ for our lives, leading to damaging consequences for our mental health, culture and education. He is critical of this system, and suggests that there are alternative forms of political-economic organization that should be considered. Fisher’s book is an important exploration of how our current system affects us, and a thought-provoking proposal for something different.

An important and engaging read for anyone who is interested in the effects of capitalism on society since 1989. Fisher successfully argues that capitalism has become a ‘default setting’ for our lives, and the consequences of this are concerning. His critique of the system and his suggestion of alternative forms of political-economic organization are interesting and thought-provoking. Overall, this is a book that is well worth reading.

Ghost of My Life

Published on May the 30th, 2014, this book from Mark Fisher is another stand-alone non-fiction title, focusing this time on topics of hauntology, pop culture, and melancholia. It was again published by Zero Books and has become widely acclaimed in the fields of music and culture studies.

Fisher argues that the loss of hope of a better future is intimately linked to the exhaustion of cultural forms. He examines how the present has become an interregnum of suspended utopias, and how this has generated a widespread sense of fatalism and passivity. Fisher provides an account of the lost futures that haunt our present, and argues for a new kind of politics that can break this impasse.

This book provides an interesting and thought-provoking argument about the links between the loss of hope for a better future and the exhaustion of cultural forms. Mark Fisher examines how the present has become an interregnum of suspended utopias and how this has generated a pervasive sense of fatalism and passivity. He presents an account of the lost futures that haunt our present and offers a new kind of politics that could break the impasse. Readers will appreciate the thought-provoking and engaging insights that Fisher provides in this book.