Jake Goldsmith is an author with cystic fibrosis and a list of other chronic health conditions. He lives in Suffolk, England.

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His writing focuses mostly on the phenomenology of illness, intellectual history, philosophy, and how illness defines one’s experiences.

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His memoir Neither Weak Nor Obtuse was originally published in 2019 and explores Jake's literary and philosophical influences, as well as the perceptions and realities of living with a life-limiting chronic illness. ​

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A new edition of Neither Weak Nor Obtuse was published by Sagging Meniscus Press in July 2022. You can order it here. 

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A collection of short essays titled In Hospital Environments: Essays on Illness & Philosophy, featuring illustrations by Wend Rend, was published in May 2024.

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In Extremis, another anthology of essays, will be published by Sagging Meniscus Press in September 2025.

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More About Jake:

 

Jake's favourite authors and most important intellectual influences include Svetlana Alexievich, Raymond Aron, W.N.P. Barbellion, Albert Camus, Baltasar Gracián, Leszek Kołakowski, Michel de Montaigne, La Rochefoucauld, Manès Sperber, Bernard Williams, and Simone Weil.

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Jake is the founder and director of The Barbellion Prize, an international book prize for ill and disabled authors.

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From Exacting Clam:

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Jake is a Contributing Editor to the quarterly literary magazine Exacting Clam, where he writes short essays on illness, philosophy, and history. 

 

Royal Papworth Hospital was published in Issue 2 of Exacting Clam - Autumn 2021.

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On Illness and Possibility was published in Issue 3 of Exacting Clam - Winter 2021.

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Disabled Thoughts was published in Issue 5 of Exacting Clam - Summer 2022.

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Spurious Thoughts was published in Issue 7 of Exacting Clam - Winter 2022.

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Yet More Thoughts was published in Issue 9 of Exacting Clam - Summer 2023.

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A Brief Note on the Use of Aronian Liberalism was published in Issue 10 of Exacting Clam - Autumn 2023.

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Distrust and Expertise — A Brief Note was published in Issue 11 of Exacting Clam - Winter 2023.

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Words and Clarity was published in Issue 13 of Exacting Clam - Summer 2024. 

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Autistic Liberalism was published in Issue 14 of Exacting Clam - Autumn 2024.

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On Conservation was published in Issue 15 of Exacting Clam - Winter 2024.

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On Knowing the Past was published in Issue 16 of Exacting Clam - Spring 2025.

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Remembering Gracián was published in Issue 17 of Exacting Clam - Summer 2025.