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Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth: The Early Works of Djuna Barnes
The self-described "most famous unknown author in the world," Djuna Barnes (1892 - 1982) is increasingly regarded as an important voice of feminism, modernism, and lesbian culture. Best remembered for her 1936 novel Nightwood, Barnes began her career by writing poetry, short stories, and articles for avant-garde literary journals as well as popular magazines. She took the grotesque nature of reality as her recurrent theme, a pessimistic world view frequently brightened by her sparkling wit.
A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, Barnes drew inspiration from the bustling streets of Lower Manhattan, and this eclectic compilation of her early journalism, fiction, and poetry recaptures the vitality of her bohemian literary scene. The collection opens with articles ranging from an account of an evening at the Arcadia, a "modern dance hall," to a firsthand report of the force-feeding endured by suffragettes in 1914. In addition to profiles of a postman, vaudeville performer, and other local personalities, Barnes interviews Lillian Russell and Alfred Stieglitz and describes an encounter with James Joyce. A dozen short stories follow, and the book concludes with a selection of compelling and sensual poetry, including verse from The Book of Repulsive Women. A selection of the author's original illustrations is included.
A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, Barnes drew inspiration from the bustling streets of Lower Manhattan, and this eclectic compilation of her early journalism, fiction, and poetry recaptures the vitality of her bohemian literary scene. The collection opens with articles ranging from an account of an evening at the Arcadia, a "modern dance hall," to a firsthand report of the force-feeding endured by suffragettes in 1914. In addition to profiles of a postman, vaudeville performer, and other local personalities, Barnes interviews Lillian Russell and Alfred Stieglitz and describes an encounter with James Joyce. A dozen short stories follow, and the book concludes with a selection of compelling and sensual poetry, including verse from The Book of Repulsive Women. A selection of the author's original illustrations is included.
249 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2016
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166 people want to read
About the author
Djuna Barnes
95 books560 followersDjuna Barnes was an artist, illustrator, journalist, playwright, and poet associated with the early 20th-century Greenwich Village bohemians and the Modernist literary movement.
Barnes has been cited as an influence by writers as diverse as Truman Capote, William Goyen, Isak Dinesen, John Hawkes, and Anaïs Nin. 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, interest in her work has grown and many of her books are back in print.
Barnes has been cited as an influence by writers as diverse as Truman Capote, William Goyen, Isak Dinesen, John Hawkes, and Anaïs Nin. 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, interest in her work has grown and many of her books are back in print.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 9, 2016
This book is a fascinating look at Djuna Barnes early work. It includes vignettes of various people, many simple working folk, at the turn of the century when Barnes lived in Greenwich Village in New York City. There are also accounts of meetings with Alfred Stieglitz, the photographer, and James Joyce. These portraits are interesting for their view into a very different time and a different city than the one we know today. They are, however, sometimes dated and difficult to read.
The poetry was interesting to me primarily for its imagery. The title of the collection, Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth comes from one of these poems In style and form the poems seem rather ordinary but, as always with Barnes, the images are striking and resonant.
My favorite part of the collection were the short stories. It was here that I heard the echoes of Barnes later, distinctive voice. The stories are full of a lively despair: despite the awfulness of lives depicted, the writing raises the tone to something full of life.
This is definitely a collection for Barnes' fans to savor. I would recommend that newcomers to Barnes begin with her famous Nightwood and having appreciated her at her best then look back to this early work, full of promise and interesting in its own right.
My thanks to NetGalley and Dover Publications for the opportunity to read this work in exchange for an honest review.
The poetry was interesting to me primarily for its imagery. The title of the collection, Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth comes from one of these poems In style and form the poems seem rather ordinary but, as always with Barnes, the images are striking and resonant.
My favorite part of the collection were the short stories. It was here that I heard the echoes of Barnes later, distinctive voice. The stories are full of a lively despair: despite the awfulness of lives depicted, the writing raises the tone to something full of life.
This is definitely a collection for Barnes' fans to savor. I would recommend that newcomers to Barnes begin with her famous Nightwood and having appreciated her at her best then look back to this early work, full of promise and interesting in its own right.
My thanks to NetGalley and Dover Publications for the opportunity to read this work in exchange for an honest review.
April 29, 2023
I picked up "Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth" free from the publisher for review, and I must confess, it took me for a completely unexpected literary and philosophical ride! My feelings about this book ran from elation to disappointment, and from profound tears to mild horror.
Since I had never heard of Djuna Barnes, I paid close attention to the introduction, where the editor gives you a description of who she was in society and in the world of publishing. I don't often take time to consider the introduction to these types of books, but I really appreciated the editor's candor, and I greatly appreciated the list of publications in which the pieces she included in the book were originally published. She even gave a short history and description for each of them. I loved that! It made the context of each article easier to imagine and understand.
The first fifty percent of the book is articles from newspapers and magazines. Every last one is outstanding, and they had a profound affect on me. While reading "Veterans in Harness No.1: Postman Joseph H. Dowling, Forty-Two Years in Service", the postman is describing what it's like to deliver mail for so many years. At one point he talks about the emotional weight of the letters he carried, and I broke down into tears. I actually had to put the book aside, have a little nostalgic cry, then make myself some Earl Grey tea before I could go on! She paints a marvelous picture of her New York city surroundings and the atmosphere of the times, which I greatly enjoyed. Through the observations she makes and the descriptions of her interviewees, she points out that whether you are a waiter in a restaurant or a popular actress, we are each an individual with our own unique outlook on living, and our own special way of interpreting the world in which we exist.
The next forty percent of the book is short stories. I hate to say this, but I found them terribly disappointing, especially after the emotional roller coaster I rode through the first half of the book. They are very well written, as I expected, and it's clear this author is very insightful and has an excellent grasp on human nature, but these stories read like parables with no moral that I could recognize; just terribly unhappy endings for the main characters and no good reason for it, with the exception of one, "Renunciation", which has a quasi-happy ending. After the positive portrayals and wonderful descriptions I read in her articles, I was surprised, shocked even, to find the complete opposite in her fictions. Also, every time a baby was involved in a story, the author referred to them as it in every story, not he or she, which to me suggests the the author's own view and not the characters'. I found this unsettling. The idea that a baby would not be seen as a fellow human and the emotionless way in which she portrays them, coupled with all the depressing endings, left me feeling... disturbed.
The last ten percent of this book is poetry. I love poetry, so I was very excited to read this section. I hoped they would bring me back to the lovely euphoria I felt while reading the articles or at least some semblance of it, but though they were nice and well done, most of them evoked no emotion in me at all, which in my opinion is the point of a poem. In fact with the exception of a few, they felt a bit clinical. This is probably a matter of taste though. Poetry is a very different sort of reading experience.
This entire book was a unique experience for me. I don't recall ever having so my many ups and downs in both opinion and emotion over one book, and even though I dislike the short stories and feel lukewarm about the the poetry, I'm giving it 5 stars. It's inspiring, nostalgic, thought provoking, and a little horrifying. This book will no doubt inspire some excellent discussion! emnoir.wordpress.com
Since I had never heard of Djuna Barnes, I paid close attention to the introduction, where the editor gives you a description of who she was in society and in the world of publishing. I don't often take time to consider the introduction to these types of books, but I really appreciated the editor's candor, and I greatly appreciated the list of publications in which the pieces she included in the book were originally published. She even gave a short history and description for each of them. I loved that! It made the context of each article easier to imagine and understand.
The first fifty percent of the book is articles from newspapers and magazines. Every last one is outstanding, and they had a profound affect on me. While reading "Veterans in Harness No.1: Postman Joseph H. Dowling, Forty-Two Years in Service", the postman is describing what it's like to deliver mail for so many years. At one point he talks about the emotional weight of the letters he carried, and I broke down into tears. I actually had to put the book aside, have a little nostalgic cry, then make myself some Earl Grey tea before I could go on! She paints a marvelous picture of her New York city surroundings and the atmosphere of the times, which I greatly enjoyed. Through the observations she makes and the descriptions of her interviewees, she points out that whether you are a waiter in a restaurant or a popular actress, we are each an individual with our own unique outlook on living, and our own special way of interpreting the world in which we exist.
The next forty percent of the book is short stories. I hate to say this, but I found them terribly disappointing, especially after the emotional roller coaster I rode through the first half of the book. They are very well written, as I expected, and it's clear this author is very insightful and has an excellent grasp on human nature, but these stories read like parables with no moral that I could recognize; just terribly unhappy endings for the main characters and no good reason for it, with the exception of one, "Renunciation", which has a quasi-happy ending. After the positive portrayals and wonderful descriptions I read in her articles, I was surprised, shocked even, to find the complete opposite in her fictions. Also, every time a baby was involved in a story, the author referred to them as it in every story, not he or she, which to me suggests the the author's own view and not the characters'. I found this unsettling. The idea that a baby would not be seen as a fellow human and the emotionless way in which she portrays them, coupled with all the depressing endings, left me feeling... disturbed.
The last ten percent of this book is poetry. I love poetry, so I was very excited to read this section. I hoped they would bring me back to the lovely euphoria I felt while reading the articles or at least some semblance of it, but though they were nice and well done, most of them evoked no emotion in me at all, which in my opinion is the point of a poem. In fact with the exception of a few, they felt a bit clinical. This is probably a matter of taste though. Poetry is a very different sort of reading experience.
This entire book was a unique experience for me. I don't recall ever having so my many ups and downs in both opinion and emotion over one book, and even though I dislike the short stories and feel lukewarm about the the poetry, I'm giving it 5 stars. It's inspiring, nostalgic, thought provoking, and a little horrifying. This book will no doubt inspire some excellent discussion! emnoir.wordpress.com
February 24, 2017
I'd never read anything by Djuna Barnes, although I had heard her name. Some favorites from this amazing collection of some of her early works: Woman Police Deputy is Writer of Poetry, and The Earth. If you like good writing and intelligent wit-read Djuna Barnes!
July 2, 2019
Not read in full but heavily skimmed. Some sparkling essays revealing a NYC long gone.
February 6, 2017
What do you do when you see a book by "the most famous unknown author in the world"? You rack your brain, find you really don't know her, are shocked at yourself and get your hands on the book ASAP. That's what happened when I saw Vivid and Repiulsive as the Truth by Djuna Barnes and her name didn't ring a bell. Unlike many, I'd never heard of Nightwood, a novel now solidly on my TBR-list, so Barnes really was completely unknown to me. And what a shame that was. Thankfully, Dover Books and Katharine Maller changed that. Thanks to Dover Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Before going into Vivid and Repulsive itself, a quick note on Dover Books is necessary. I've read and reviewed a number of their collections by now and I always greatly appreciate them. They are well-structured and always offer a great insight into an author's full work. But they don't just cover the well-known and famous, they also provide collections such as these which reintroduce the audience to woefully forgotten voices. It's a real pleasure to be able to find such strong female voices and have them presented so delightfully. Which brings us back to Djuna Barnes and Katharine Maller. Maller both edits this collection and wrote an introduction for it. Quite often these types of introductions get skipped, but in the case of Vivid and Repulsive the introduction is a real gem. Maller does an excellent job at contextualizing Barnes, introducing her and 1900s New York to the reader. Especially of note is her statement on some of Barnes' opinions. Despite having feminist notions, Barnes is also a product of her time. Maller does not edit these more unsavoury moments out, but has excluded some stories from the collection for this reason. She doesn't cover up Barnes' more outdated opinions, but gives them a place without making them dominant. It's an excellent way to deal with covering older authors, I think.
Vivid and Repulsive is a collection of early work, when Barnes started off as a journalist. The first section of the collection focuses on her articles. This was probably my favourite section, as Barnes' articles cover a whole range of topics and are written with a perfect balance of cynicism and interest in her topics. Amongst my favourites are her interviews with contemporary actresses such as Yvette Guilbert who had delightfully modern and feminist thoughts. Also interesting is her obituary of James Joyce, who she met repeatedly. Her articles offer a different kind of perspective, especially on the Bohemian life in Greenwich Village, NY. Impactful is her report on the force-feeding of the Suffragetes, which puts the reader right in the middle of this terrible act.This section was my favourite, although I also enjoyed her short stories. She writes about the miseries of life with an almost blase attitude. Terrible things happen, but it is what it is. For some it may be a bit depressing, but I thought it was very interesting. The final section of the collection focuses on Barnes' poetry. There are some beautiful poems in the mix, such as 'Call of the Night' and 'Love Song', which I loved. The title of this collection is taken from one of the last poems, 'Seen from the L'. Although I enjoyed Barnes' poetry it wasn't as enticing as her prose, but full of beautiful imagery.
After reading Vivid and Repulsive one understands why she called herself 'the most famous unknown author in the world'. On the one hand that is simply her style, but as always there is also a kernel of truth in it. Djuna Barnes' writing is alive with personality and spark. This is the woman who walked into her first job interview saying: 'I can draw and write, and you’d be a fool not to hire me'. She put herself in the most difficult positions in order to be able to truly write about them. She was a Bohemian who moved to Paris and wrote a cult classic of lesbian fiction. She is one of those people whose life reads like a 'Who's Who' of 20th century Paris and New York. Her articles are beautifully descriptive, her short stories depressingly honest and her poetry ever so slightly elusive. Having not read Nightwood, this collection has made me very curious for it!
I'm very happy to have discovered Djuna Barnes, not only as a writer but also as a person. Seemingly fearless for most of her life, she can serve as a great inspiration for beginning writers. Perhaps don't adopt her violently alcoholic latter years however. I'd recommend Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth to those wanting to find a gem of the 20th century and for those interested in female writers.
For full review and others: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com
Before going into Vivid and Repulsive itself, a quick note on Dover Books is necessary. I've read and reviewed a number of their collections by now and I always greatly appreciate them. They are well-structured and always offer a great insight into an author's full work. But they don't just cover the well-known and famous, they also provide collections such as these which reintroduce the audience to woefully forgotten voices. It's a real pleasure to be able to find such strong female voices and have them presented so delightfully. Which brings us back to Djuna Barnes and Katharine Maller. Maller both edits this collection and wrote an introduction for it. Quite often these types of introductions get skipped, but in the case of Vivid and Repulsive the introduction is a real gem. Maller does an excellent job at contextualizing Barnes, introducing her and 1900s New York to the reader. Especially of note is her statement on some of Barnes' opinions. Despite having feminist notions, Barnes is also a product of her time. Maller does not edit these more unsavoury moments out, but has excluded some stories from the collection for this reason. She doesn't cover up Barnes' more outdated opinions, but gives them a place without making them dominant. It's an excellent way to deal with covering older authors, I think.
Vivid and Repulsive is a collection of early work, when Barnes started off as a journalist. The first section of the collection focuses on her articles. This was probably my favourite section, as Barnes' articles cover a whole range of topics and are written with a perfect balance of cynicism and interest in her topics. Amongst my favourites are her interviews with contemporary actresses such as Yvette Guilbert who had delightfully modern and feminist thoughts. Also interesting is her obituary of James Joyce, who she met repeatedly. Her articles offer a different kind of perspective, especially on the Bohemian life in Greenwich Village, NY. Impactful is her report on the force-feeding of the Suffragetes, which puts the reader right in the middle of this terrible act.This section was my favourite, although I also enjoyed her short stories. She writes about the miseries of life with an almost blase attitude. Terrible things happen, but it is what it is. For some it may be a bit depressing, but I thought it was very interesting. The final section of the collection focuses on Barnes' poetry. There are some beautiful poems in the mix, such as 'Call of the Night' and 'Love Song', which I loved. The title of this collection is taken from one of the last poems, 'Seen from the L'. Although I enjoyed Barnes' poetry it wasn't as enticing as her prose, but full of beautiful imagery.
After reading Vivid and Repulsive one understands why she called herself 'the most famous unknown author in the world'. On the one hand that is simply her style, but as always there is also a kernel of truth in it. Djuna Barnes' writing is alive with personality and spark. This is the woman who walked into her first job interview saying: 'I can draw and write, and you’d be a fool not to hire me'. She put herself in the most difficult positions in order to be able to truly write about them. She was a Bohemian who moved to Paris and wrote a cult classic of lesbian fiction. She is one of those people whose life reads like a 'Who's Who' of 20th century Paris and New York. Her articles are beautifully descriptive, her short stories depressingly honest and her poetry ever so slightly elusive. Having not read Nightwood, this collection has made me very curious for it!
I'm very happy to have discovered Djuna Barnes, not only as a writer but also as a person. Seemingly fearless for most of her life, she can serve as a great inspiration for beginning writers. Perhaps don't adopt her violently alcoholic latter years however. I'd recommend Vivid and Repulsive as the Truth to those wanting to find a gem of the 20th century and for those interested in female writers.
For full review and others: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com
April 5, 2020
Interesting look into Djuna’s early writing. Some clips are quite beautiful; others show a pen desperately trying to figure out its voice.
The format of this collection could be better. For example, the outlets and dates only appear as a table of contents.
The format of this collection could be better. For example, the outlets and dates only appear as a table of contents.
December 31, 2023
I love Djuna, have for a few years now. I need to get into her fiction soon. Everyone who loves New York should read her essays.
October 21, 2016
Djuna Barnes is perhaps not as well known today as she merits, so this collection of her early work is a welcome publication, particular in view of its very useful introduction, essential for Barnes novices. Best remembered now for her novel Nightwood, she also wrote poetry, short stories, articles, interviews and essays and many of them are gathered together here. This is perhaps more a volume for the Barnes aficionado or literary scholar, but for the general reader who just wants to get a taste of her writing, it’s an excellent compilation and although I certainly didn’t enjoy all the writing, some of it, particularly the articles I found compelling. The poetry not so much, I have to admit. However, this is a useful and sometimes enjoyable collection of her work.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews