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Djuna: The Life and Work of Djuna Barnes
The first biography of its subject in more than a decade draws on interviews with Djuna Barnes's brother and unpublished letters, tracing the life and career of the early twentieth-century bisexual writer and friend to James Joyce and T. S. Eliot.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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February 24, 2021
When I read or tried to read Nightwood it struck me that the author was more interesting than her impenetrable book and now having read her biography I think the lives of her grandma and her father were more interesting than hers. That was unlooked-for.
GRANDMA ZADEL
Zadel Barnes was born in 1841. They were rich and she had home tutors. She ran away with one of them at age 16, he was 36. Parents dragged them back and they had a shotgun wedding.
What kind of name is Zadel? Well, it was a whimsical notion of this family to give strange names to all the kids – the others included Hinda, Reon, Gaybert and Kilmeny.
By her mid teens Zadel was writing poetry, stories and reviews for local newspapers. This turned into a big career. Harper’s, McCall’s, all the top magazines loved her stuff. After divorcing the tutor when she was 34 she remarried a Swedish immigrant who was 6 years younger than she was. Then McCall’s sent her to London and there she and new husband got to hobnob with the likes of Oscar Wilde’s mother (described as “well over six feet tall and of great girth”) and Karl Marx’s daughter.
In 1884 Axel wrote a big hit book called The Foundation of Death. It wasn’t a thriller, no, it was one of the most successful anti-alcohol books of the 19th century. So he was now a celebrity. This power couple then started prohibition parties in England, Sweden and Australia (obviously). After 10 years in London they went back to the USA and were big campaigners for votes for women and prohibition.
Something I learned : the resistance to women’s suffrage was partly fuelled by a belief that women, if they had the vote, would vote for prohibition parties.
All this time Zadel believed in sexual freedom for everybody and thought marriage was oppressive and that with genuine sexual liberation there would be no more prostitution or oppression of women. She was a tremendous idealist. And this message was learned faithfully by her son who was Djuna’s father. Well, the self-serving parts of it anyway.
FATHER WALD
His wildly progressive mother regarded her son as a misunderstood genius and spoiled him rotten. She supported him until he was 50 years old, he had way too many great thoughts to get an actual job. What with her promotion of sexual liberty it’s maybe not a surprise that he turned out to be a polygamist, which his doting mother thought was just fine.
When they were in London 21 year old Wald met 19 year old violin student and next door neighbour Elizabeth and they hit it off. She had no family and when they all went back to the USA she came along & they got married. They all lived in a big log cabin. Then Wald found wife No 2, named Fanny, and she moved into the log cabin. Then the two wives started a baby production line, which continued the family tradition of strange names : between 1890 and 1904 there appeared Thurn, Djuna, Muriel, Zendon, Saxon, Duane, Buan and Shangar. What was up with Muriel? How come she didn’t get a crazy name?
So Wald’s mother ended up supporting all of this tribe with her journalism. Thirteen people.
Eventually Wald dumped wife number one and her kids, including Djuna, and when that happened, Djuna, age 20, found herself having to support this family.
The rest of Wald’s wild and wooly life is very entertaining where it isn’t aggravating but let’s just mention a couple of things about his daughter.
FINALLY DJUNA
Her parents had encouraged 17 year old Djuna into a relationship with wife No 2’s brother Percy who was 52. What were they thinking? Proto-hippy daddy Wald seems to have thought it was time she had sex with a man. Honestly, it seems to have been something like that. Anyway those two lived together for a few months and Djuna hated her father for many years for the whole nasty situation which she portrayed as commencing with a rape.
Her next serious relationship was at age 22 when like Zadel she had become a young hotshot journalist. This guy was a towering 27 year old German with the nickname Putzi, a character, a raconteur, classical pianist, art collector and he saved her life. Like this:
Her editor was always sending her on crazy missions and one of them was going to be to fly in a homemade airplane. She would have earned $25 for this stunt. Putzi paid her the $25 not to do it. Somebody else did it and the plane crashed, killing all aboard.
They got engaged but since it was 1914/15 anti-German sentiment made life unbearable for Putzi. Plus, Djuna was having lesbian affairs. Plus, he wanted to marry a German, not an American. He decided to go back to Germany, where, under his formal name Ernst Hanfstaengel, he became a convinced Nazi and was appointed by Hess as head of the Foreign Press Bureau and was a major pal of Hitler during the 1930s.
Wiki says :
William Shirer, a CBS journalist who resided in Nazi Germany until 1940 and was in frequent contact with Hanfstaengl, described him as an "eccentric, gangling man, whose sardonic wit somewhat compensated for his shallow mind".
Anyway, young Djuna was all over Greenwich Village 1912-20 then (like Grandma) was sent to Europe, Paris to be specific, and was all over the famous ex-pat literary crowd in the 20s. So high-flying was she that, for instance, when she went to interview Maeterlinck she took along William Carlos Williams as interpreter. And she interviewed Joyce after the publication of Ulysses. And so on.
But after the 20s it was kind of downhill all the way for the following 50 years.
*****
POSTSCRIPT:
THERE IS A MISTAKE ON PAGE 89
Lots of books have mistakes in them but here’s a big one :
In 1914 Djuna volunteered to be force-fed for one of her “stunt stories”, this one called, logically, “How it Feels to be Forcibly Fed”. This was because of the suffragist movement. Phillip Herring says casually :
Many suffragists died in British prisons from that mode of torture.
They did? I wondered. Why don’t I know about THAT? So after some googling I found the website of the Museum Of London (https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/) and their page called Six Things You Should Know About the Suffragette Hunger Strikes and there we read:
There were no cases of a Suffragette dying in prison while on hunger strike.
GRANDMA ZADEL
Zadel Barnes was born in 1841. They were rich and she had home tutors. She ran away with one of them at age 16, he was 36. Parents dragged them back and they had a shotgun wedding.
What kind of name is Zadel? Well, it was a whimsical notion of this family to give strange names to all the kids – the others included Hinda, Reon, Gaybert and Kilmeny.
By her mid teens Zadel was writing poetry, stories and reviews for local newspapers. This turned into a big career. Harper’s, McCall’s, all the top magazines loved her stuff. After divorcing the tutor when she was 34 she remarried a Swedish immigrant who was 6 years younger than she was. Then McCall’s sent her to London and there she and new husband got to hobnob with the likes of Oscar Wilde’s mother (described as “well over six feet tall and of great girth”) and Karl Marx’s daughter.
In 1884 Axel wrote a big hit book called The Foundation of Death. It wasn’t a thriller, no, it was one of the most successful anti-alcohol books of the 19th century. So he was now a celebrity. This power couple then started prohibition parties in England, Sweden and Australia (obviously). After 10 years in London they went back to the USA and were big campaigners for votes for women and prohibition.
Something I learned : the resistance to women’s suffrage was partly fuelled by a belief that women, if they had the vote, would vote for prohibition parties.
All this time Zadel believed in sexual freedom for everybody and thought marriage was oppressive and that with genuine sexual liberation there would be no more prostitution or oppression of women. She was a tremendous idealist. And this message was learned faithfully by her son who was Djuna’s father. Well, the self-serving parts of it anyway.
FATHER WALD
His wildly progressive mother regarded her son as a misunderstood genius and spoiled him rotten. She supported him until he was 50 years old, he had way too many great thoughts to get an actual job. What with her promotion of sexual liberty it’s maybe not a surprise that he turned out to be a polygamist, which his doting mother thought was just fine.
When they were in London 21 year old Wald met 19 year old violin student and next door neighbour Elizabeth and they hit it off. She had no family and when they all went back to the USA she came along & they got married. They all lived in a big log cabin. Then Wald found wife No 2, named Fanny, and she moved into the log cabin. Then the two wives started a baby production line, which continued the family tradition of strange names : between 1890 and 1904 there appeared Thurn, Djuna, Muriel, Zendon, Saxon, Duane, Buan and Shangar. What was up with Muriel? How come she didn’t get a crazy name?
So Wald’s mother ended up supporting all of this tribe with her journalism. Thirteen people.
Eventually Wald dumped wife number one and her kids, including Djuna, and when that happened, Djuna, age 20, found herself having to support this family.
The rest of Wald’s wild and wooly life is very entertaining where it isn’t aggravating but let’s just mention a couple of things about his daughter.
FINALLY DJUNA
Her parents had encouraged 17 year old Djuna into a relationship with wife No 2’s brother Percy who was 52. What were they thinking? Proto-hippy daddy Wald seems to have thought it was time she had sex with a man. Honestly, it seems to have been something like that. Anyway those two lived together for a few months and Djuna hated her father for many years for the whole nasty situation which she portrayed as commencing with a rape.
Her next serious relationship was at age 22 when like Zadel she had become a young hotshot journalist. This guy was a towering 27 year old German with the nickname Putzi, a character, a raconteur, classical pianist, art collector and he saved her life. Like this:
Her editor was always sending her on crazy missions and one of them was going to be to fly in a homemade airplane. She would have earned $25 for this stunt. Putzi paid her the $25 not to do it. Somebody else did it and the plane crashed, killing all aboard.
They got engaged but since it was 1914/15 anti-German sentiment made life unbearable for Putzi. Plus, Djuna was having lesbian affairs. Plus, he wanted to marry a German, not an American. He decided to go back to Germany, where, under his formal name Ernst Hanfstaengel, he became a convinced Nazi and was appointed by Hess as head of the Foreign Press Bureau and was a major pal of Hitler during the 1930s.
Wiki says :
William Shirer, a CBS journalist who resided in Nazi Germany until 1940 and was in frequent contact with Hanfstaengl, described him as an "eccentric, gangling man, whose sardonic wit somewhat compensated for his shallow mind".
Anyway, young Djuna was all over Greenwich Village 1912-20 then (like Grandma) was sent to Europe, Paris to be specific, and was all over the famous ex-pat literary crowd in the 20s. So high-flying was she that, for instance, when she went to interview Maeterlinck she took along William Carlos Williams as interpreter. And she interviewed Joyce after the publication of Ulysses. And so on.
But after the 20s it was kind of downhill all the way for the following 50 years.
*****
POSTSCRIPT:
THERE IS A MISTAKE ON PAGE 89
Lots of books have mistakes in them but here’s a big one :
In 1914 Djuna volunteered to be force-fed for one of her “stunt stories”, this one called, logically, “How it Feels to be Forcibly Fed”. This was because of the suffragist movement. Phillip Herring says casually :
Many suffragists died in British prisons from that mode of torture.
They did? I wondered. Why don’t I know about THAT? So after some googling I found the website of the Museum Of London (https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/) and their page called Six Things You Should Know About the Suffragette Hunger Strikes and there we read:
There were no cases of a Suffragette dying in prison while on hunger strike.
October 3, 2012
Ehhhhh. The author starts out by saying he is writing this biography because he was most interested in her writing and wanted to know more about the woman - but I feel that something was terribly lacking. He jumped over really big sections of her life, and didn't work on bringing in the context of her situation or the larger picture of what was going on in the world throughout the eras she lived through.
Also, I found the analyses of her work super boring (I know i know he SAID he was going to go into it.)
Aside from the general unlikeability of the character Herring created for Djuna, I never really feel like I got to a place where I could identify with her as a human. The flip side of that argument is that the circumstances of Djuna's childhood were so extreme how could anyone relate to such a woman? Such was the theme throughout her life. Still, I think with some more length, research, and context Herring could have made this a more compelling read and a more memorable biography of Djuna Barnes.
Also, I found the analyses of her work super boring (I know i know he SAID he was going to go into it.)
Aside from the general unlikeability of the character Herring created for Djuna, I never really feel like I got to a place where I could identify with her as a human. The flip side of that argument is that the circumstances of Djuna's childhood were so extreme how could anyone relate to such a woman? Such was the theme throughout her life. Still, I think with some more length, research, and context Herring could have made this a more compelling read and a more memorable biography of Djuna Barnes.
February 25, 2008
Largely uneven biography. I'm glad I'm done. Yes, I'm one of those readers that finish what they start--ever the optimist hoping it will get better.
Gawd, what a horrible life this poor woman lead!
This is taking me some time to finish b/c it's depressing but good stuff. Really shows the strong nature of the human spirit. I keep telling myself maybe it was b/c her misfortunes she became such a prolific writer and author.
Read WILD AT HEART: A LIFE for an easier, yet still informative read about the social history of American expatriots living in Paris during the 20s (of which Barnes' was part of).
Gawd, what a horrible life this poor woman lead!
This is taking me some time to finish b/c it's depressing but good stuff. Really shows the strong nature of the human spirit. I keep telling myself maybe it was b/c her misfortunes she became such a prolific writer and author.
Read WILD AT HEART: A LIFE for an easier, yet still informative read about the social history of American expatriots living in Paris during the 20s (of which Barnes' was part of).
December 30, 2013
I skimmed some parts of this bio/literary analysis of Djuna Barnes and her writing because it is repetitive, overly detailed in an academic way, and written in a somewhat tiresome style. It provides a wealth of information about Barnes and every single person she ever met, particularly the literary ones. Loads of stuff on her lover Thelma Wood, her horrible family and childhood, who she knew in New York, London, and Paris, and how witty and vengeful she was, but this is fact and analysis, not really a biography that brings anyone alive. Read it only if you are in great need of information to make sense of Nightwood or Antiphon.
August 2, 2020
A biography of the eccentric author of Nightwood.
Nonfiction Review: Djuna: The Life and Work of Djuna Barnes is disjointed and inconsistent, as is its subject. A decidedly unconventional and unenviable childhood led to an equally eccentric life. Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) could've given Tara Westover a run for her money and written the Educated of her day. Her life reads like, and became, a novel. Although prolific for a short period, today she's mostly known for one book, Nightwood, her novel about love in Paris during the Twenties. Despite a prickly personality she had many famous friends including James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Peggy Guggenheim, Dag Hammarskjöld. Joyce gave Barnes the proof sheets of Ulysses, specially bound. Later she had famous fans such as Carson McCullers, Anäis Nin, Malcolm Lowry. She was an integral member of the American ex-pats in Paris, and from a single novel she created a lasting if cultish reputation. Djuna provided me a wealth of valuable information about the writer, her most famous work, and her acquaintances. I learned of a difficult childhood, an idiosyncratic personality, and the immensely autobiographical nature of Nightwood. Although that book is considered a landmark in gay literature, she adamantly denied she was a lesbian. I gained many insights, but at the end I was left with the feeling that this biography didn't really do her justice. There seemed to be gaps, the chronology was wonky, and there was just too much extraneous information. There are two primary pitfalls which biographers may encounter. One is the idea that the biographer is as important as the subject and so end up writing as much about themselves as who they're writing about. That's memoir, not biography. Get over your self-centered self. The biographer should be invisible except in the most necessary instances. The second is that after having done massive research for the book some biographers feel obligated to put all that hard work on the page, every bit of it, no matter how irrelevant, inconsequential, or insipid. Philip Herring misses the first trap, but falls resoundingly into the latter. There's too much pointless detail that adds nothing to the life of Djuna Barnes and simply distracts from the story we want to read. Too many pages devoted to events which and people who had only the most tangential connection to Barnes. Why detract from a life that stands on its own. Djuna could've been short, focused, and powerful, and would've been all the better for that. This is a good introduction, but somehow I suspect we're still waiting for the definitive biography of Djuna Barnes. [3★]
Nonfiction Review: Djuna: The Life and Work of Djuna Barnes is disjointed and inconsistent, as is its subject. A decidedly unconventional and unenviable childhood led to an equally eccentric life. Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) could've given Tara Westover a run for her money and written the Educated of her day. Her life reads like, and became, a novel. Although prolific for a short period, today she's mostly known for one book, Nightwood, her novel about love in Paris during the Twenties. Despite a prickly personality she had many famous friends including James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Peggy Guggenheim, Dag Hammarskjöld. Joyce gave Barnes the proof sheets of Ulysses, specially bound. Later she had famous fans such as Carson McCullers, Anäis Nin, Malcolm Lowry. She was an integral member of the American ex-pats in Paris, and from a single novel she created a lasting if cultish reputation. Djuna provided me a wealth of valuable information about the writer, her most famous work, and her acquaintances. I learned of a difficult childhood, an idiosyncratic personality, and the immensely autobiographical nature of Nightwood. Although that book is considered a landmark in gay literature, she adamantly denied she was a lesbian. I gained many insights, but at the end I was left with the feeling that this biography didn't really do her justice. There seemed to be gaps, the chronology was wonky, and there was just too much extraneous information. There are two primary pitfalls which biographers may encounter. One is the idea that the biographer is as important as the subject and so end up writing as much about themselves as who they're writing about. That's memoir, not biography. Get over your self-centered self. The biographer should be invisible except in the most necessary instances. The second is that after having done massive research for the book some biographers feel obligated to put all that hard work on the page, every bit of it, no matter how irrelevant, inconsequential, or insipid. Philip Herring misses the first trap, but falls resoundingly into the latter. There's too much pointless detail that adds nothing to the life of Djuna Barnes and simply distracts from the story we want to read. Too many pages devoted to events which and people who had only the most tangential connection to Barnes. Why detract from a life that stands on its own. Djuna could've been short, focused, and powerful, and would've been all the better for that. This is a good introduction, but somehow I suspect we're still waiting for the definitive biography of Djuna Barnes. [3★]
November 19, 2024
This book is a biography of the author Djuna Barnes. She was a woman who turned heads and wrote many pieces of lesbian literature. Stemming from a traumatic childhood, Djuna led a fascinating and grand life. I was very surprised by this book. I had practically taken it off the shelf at random, only to discover a woman who was both beloved and hated in the literary world. I very much enjoyed learning about her colorful life, her friends, and her views. Djuna's decisions always were shocking. Her wit was legendary and her bluntness was unmatched. She once said to an admirer, "That's an awful name, you should change it. You'll never amount to anything with a hideous name like that. Messerli. Ugh" (Phillip 297). The book was mostly enjoyable, but was at times a drag or confusing, earning it a three-star rating. I will admit that this book is very, very mature, mentioning adult topics quite often, especially regarding her father. For that reason, I would recommend that no one younger than thirty read this book.
March 20, 2022
Herring wrote the definitive biography of Djuna Barnes, and while it is imperfect, it provides a very deep dive into the surrounding figures of Djuna's personal and literary life. The use of drawing on her autobiographical fiction may be dubius for some, but Herring is quick to point out caveats and possible contradictions to try and give the fullest picture of Djuna. i had a blast reading this.
January 9, 2015
"One fell in love with the person, not the gender." Charles Henri Ford speaking of Djuna Barnes.
This was a story I wanted to love and carry close to my heart for years, however it didn't come close to that wish. I started this book in Jan 2014, and put it down for another attempt. I always say I owe it to the book to finish it. Mr. Herring's writing style is poor at best. I realize his idea was to compare Djuna's life to her books esp Nightwood. The confusion came very early in the book when introducing her family, which was such an integral part of his book, and introducing the corresponding characters of Nightwood. Too confusing to follow as one wants to learn as much about her biological family.
I adore Djuna Barnes, along with Nancy Cunard, CoCo Chanel, Peggy Guggenheim, and a host of other strong women of the 20s. These women I will carry close to my heart and not this book.
This was a story I wanted to love and carry close to my heart for years, however it didn't come close to that wish. I started this book in Jan 2014, and put it down for another attempt. I always say I owe it to the book to finish it. Mr. Herring's writing style is poor at best. I realize his idea was to compare Djuna's life to her books esp Nightwood. The confusion came very early in the book when introducing her family, which was such an integral part of his book, and introducing the corresponding characters of Nightwood. Too confusing to follow as one wants to learn as much about her biological family.
I adore Djuna Barnes, along with Nancy Cunard, CoCo Chanel, Peggy Guggenheim, and a host of other strong women of the 20s. These women I will carry close to my heart and not this book.
December 30, 2017
I am not sure why I knew almost nothing about Djuna Barnes who seems to have been one of the most famous of the Parisian ex-pats in the 1920-30's. Unfortunately this biography wasn't always to my taste, in fact it was downright tedious in places. The narrative is not always strictly chronological which was sometimes confusing and there are many blind alleys left unexplored. A pity because her life was unusual and included fascinating friends and acquaintances including Peggy Guggenheim who supported her for years with a monthly stipend, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot (her editor and close friend) and Paul Bowles who once loaned her his studio in Tangier. So much interesting stuff that should have made for a "can't put it down" book. Still worth the read in spite of its faults. (Purchased secondhand at the Miami International Book Fair)
March 8, 2018
Barnes, with her notorious privacy, would be a hard figure to write on, I imagine. This super uneven effort may prove that out. That said, it does very little in terms of marrying Djuna Barnes' work to her life, which is ostensibly the author's goal.
He doesn't cover either the work or the life completely - again, it's a tough goal, but he says he's met it. It's almost like Herring had one strong idea and wrote only about that. This leaves chunks of her life unexamined, and the analysis of some of her work perfunctory. Antiphon and Nightwood get all the attention. Nightwood in particular, since one of the pet theories is that Djuna Barnes life can be seen through that novel, gets a magnifying glass to nearly every sentence, or so it feels.
The era and the person - I didn't come away feeling like the hours reading paid off in knowledge of either.
He doesn't cover either the work or the life completely - again, it's a tough goal, but he says he's met it. It's almost like Herring had one strong idea and wrote only about that. This leaves chunks of her life unexamined, and the analysis of some of her work perfunctory. Antiphon and Nightwood get all the attention. Nightwood in particular, since one of the pet theories is that Djuna Barnes life can be seen through that novel, gets a magnifying glass to nearly every sentence, or so it feels.
The era and the person - I didn't come away feeling like the hours reading paid off in knowledge of either.
January 11, 2024
One of the most fascinating creatives of the 20th century with a full life of hustle and heartbreak. What I admire most is that she vehemently despised being labeled because she knew exactly who she was. She wasn't religious, political, nor a champion of any causes, she was not-so-simply Djuna Barnes, a self-proclaimed egoist who held art, creativity and intellect above all.
January 24, 2025
Finely researched and well told biography of a brilliant journalist and novelist, Djuna Barnes who impacted the literary life of Paris, Berlin and New York. Excellent read and authoritative source on her life and works.
February 17, 2019
Insightful, although rather dull and repetitive at times.
March 17, 2017
Great to get some insight into such an enigmatic author, so for that I'm grateful. Now I feel I can re-attempt Ryder and Nightwood. Some fascinating surprises discovered along the way, such as Becket's apparent indebtedness to Barnes for help with Waiting For Godot, hence sharing part of his royalties with her. Glad I waded through this book despite moments where I disagree with the premises and conclusions about aspects of Barnes character and behavior. Overall I recommend this biography as a starting point, but not as a stopping point, into New York and Paris during the 1920's and 1930's literary scenes.
Want to Read
January 8, 2010to-read
March 13, 2012
Interesting biography of a very talented writer. Much of her writing is autobiographical and she had a horrible family life. Her time in Paris seems to be the happiest in her life.
October 9, 2012
A bit hard to get through, but maybe because I read it when I was a teenager.. but I got through it- a wonderful over view/insight into lesbian Paris of the 20's.
March 9, 2013
I read this because I was going to take another run at reading Barnes' masterpiece, Nightwood, but the biography reminded me of why I've never finished the novel.
July 25, 2009
fascinating lady.
April 28, 2019
I didn't find it uneven, I found it complex. How could a biography hoping to capture Barnes be any other way. Yes, it's a bit of a chewy read, not for the light reader, but a well documented source for academics.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews