Djuna Barnes

Author profile

born

in Cornwall-on-Hudson, The United States

June 12, 1892

died

June 18, 1982

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction, Gay & Lesbian

About this author

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Barnes has been cited as an influence by writers as diverse as Truman Capote, William Goyen, Isak Dinesen, John Hawkes, Bertha Harris and Anaïs Nin. Writer Bertha Harris described her work as "practically the only available expression of lesbian culture we have in the modern western world" since Sappho.

Barnes played an important part in the development of 20th century English language modernist writing and was one of the key figures in 1920s and 30s bohemian Paris after filling a similar role in the Greenwich Village of the teens. Her novel Nightwood became a cult work of modern fiction, helped by an introduction by T. S. Eliot. It stands out today for its portrayal of lesbian themes and its distinctive writing style. Since Barnes's death,...more

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Djuna Barnes's Books

Average rating: 3.73 · 3,665 ratings · 375 reviews · 36 distinct works · Similar authors

	Nightwood by Djuna Barnes, T.S. Eliot (Contributor), Jeanette Winterson (Contributor) 3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 3,036 ratings — published 1936 — 29 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ryder by Djuna Barnes, Paul West (Afterword) 3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 avg rating — 115 ratings — published 1979 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ladies Almanack 3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 avg rating — 136 ratings — published 1972 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Repulsive Women: 8 Rhythms and 5 Drawings 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 101 ratings — published 1989 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Smoke: And Other Early Stories 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 1917 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Collected Stories 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 1996 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Selected Works of Djuna Barnes 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1980 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	New York 3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1920 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	At the Roots of the Stars: The Short Plays 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 1995	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Antiphon 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 1958 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Djuna Barnes…

Quotes by Djuna Barnes

“I talk too much because I have been made so miserable by what you are keeping hushed.”
― Djuna Barnes, Nightwood

45 people liked it

“A man is whole only when he takes into account his shadow.”
― Djuna Barnes

tags: jungism, personhood, shadow-self

30 people liked it

“The unendurable is the beginning of the curve of joy.”
― Djuna Barnes, Nightwood

tags: pain

21 people liked it

See all Djuna Barnes's quotes »

Polls

Which book would you like to read for January/February?

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

35 votes, 40.2%

The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst

21 votes, 24.1%

Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman

18 votes, 20.7%

A Different Light by Elizabeth A. Lynn

13 votes, 14.9%

87 total votes

8 comments

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