Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

Meeting at the usual place, The Shakespeare Hotel (upstairs) at 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills on Thursday 11 June 2026 at 7.00pm, we will be discussing Kiss of the Spider Woman (1976) by Manuel Puig.

The novel explores the relationship between two cellmates in an Argentine prison. One has been imprisoned for 'corrupting a minor,' while the other is a Marxist revolutionary. The narrative has a unique structure, primarily consisting of the two men's dialogue and the use of (fictional) footnotes discussing the psychology of homosexuality and gender.

The novel is celebrated for how it weaves together themes of political oppression and sexual liberation, suggesting that personal and political freedom are inextricably linked. The novel was faithfully adapted into the 1985 film of the same name, available on youtube.

Available from local libraries. Soft copies available from the usual places. Contact [dalemills@cantab.net](mailto:dalemills@cantab.net) for a free pdf.

We meet upstairs in a semi-private room conducive to discussion. We talk about the book in a fairly focused way for about 45 mins and then the meeting formally ends. Almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book or anything else. Although the meeting starts at 7.00pm, people start to arrive up to an hour earlier for drinks and food.