Product Description

Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) once described herself as the most famous unknown writer, and although her novel "Nightwood" is celebrated, her poetry has been a well-kept secret. This selection contains work written between 1914 and the 1970s. Many of the poems in "The Book of Repulsive Women" first appeared in pamphlets and literary journals in New York and Paris. Published together for the first time, they throw new light on Barnes' development as a writer. The book reveals her as a poet of unique power, at once compelling and disorientating. Marianne Moore observed, "reading Djuna Barnes is like reading a foreign language, which you understand". "The Book of Repulsive Women" includes previously unpublished and uncollected poems, and five illustrations by Barnes herself. Rebecca Loncraine provides an introduction to Barnes' poetry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #702918 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 84 pages

Customer Reviews

About time!
This collection of Barnes' poetry is a must for anyone interested in literary Modernism, but also for plenty of other folk. With a concise but very clear and useful introduction and a few of Djuna's idiosyncratic wood cuts dotted around, it's a great edition.

This is the first collection of her poetry, and includes stuff never seen in book form before. If you don't know anything about Djuna Barnes, start with Nightwood, but you should follow up with this shortly after.

Was she a Great poet? Nope, but this is very intersting stuff, showing the influences ranging from Emily Dickinson to the day's newspaper. Djuna has often been seen through the window of Eliot and Pound, perhaps this is the first step in giving her room of her own!