Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parents—a fencer, a horse rider and a keen …
I took my time with this one. This is a fictionalized autobiography; some of the literary figures and adjacent queer figures of the time were recognizable despite the name changes. It also offered a glimpse into the gay bar and salon scenes of early 20th century Europe.
A truly heartbreaking read, it's a plea for at least tolerance and at best celebration of lesbian relationships disguised under the plausible deniability of a novel. Our protagonist loses her idealism, her innocence, her home, and her hopes for the future, spurred on solely by the notion that she could change minds and hearts through being a respected writer. Even the small moments of hope here still have a patina of fear and trepidation. She walks the tightrope walk of defiance vs protectiveness.
Despite its bleakness (the title is apt), I really enjoyed this and felt held by this. It's incredible …
I took my time with this one. This is a fictionalized autobiography; some of the literary figures and adjacent queer figures of the time were recognizable despite the name changes. It also offered a glimpse into the gay bar and salon scenes of early 20th century Europe.
A truly heartbreaking read, it's a plea for at least tolerance and at best celebration of lesbian relationships disguised under the plausible deniability of a novel. Our protagonist loses her idealism, her innocence, her home, and her hopes for the future, spurred on solely by the notion that she could change minds and hearts through being a respected writer. Even the small moments of hope here still have a patina of fear and trepidation. She walks the tightrope walk of defiance vs protectiveness.
Despite its bleakness (the title is apt), I really enjoyed this and felt held by this. It's incredible how much has changed but also how much things haven't. I could see my friends and myself in much of this.
This feels like a good place to pause on my perusal of 20th-century queer women in literature and switch gears for a while.
Barnes' fascination with womens' internality - their madness, their melancholy, and their wit - is conveyed so idiosyncratically in these short stories. I feel like her poetic prose lends itself well to the format.
I still very much want to revisit her novel "Nightwood" since I feel it will speak to me now more than it did in my early 20s. I sometimes struggle to drop in or to not rush through short story anthologies, but I got a lot out of savouring these. Some of them are a bit opaque, but that's 19th/20th century modernism, baby.
Her handling of grief in a few of these really stood out for me, the beauty and neurosis of it.
Barnes' fascination with womens' internality - their madness, their melancholy, and their wit - is conveyed so idiosyncratically in these short stories. I feel like her poetic prose lends itself well to the format.
I still very much want to revisit her novel "Nightwood" since I feel it will speak to me now more than it did in my early 20s. I sometimes struggle to drop in or to not rush through short story anthologies, but I got a lot out of savouring these. Some of them are a bit opaque, but that's 19th/20th century modernism, baby.
Her handling of grief in a few of these really stood out for me, the beauty and neurosis of it.
A recommendation from my co-worker who I have kind of a two-man book club going with. This feels like a good follow-up to "Sex Variant Women In Literature", which I read earlier this year. Excited about this one.
A recommendation from my co-worker who I have kind of a two-man book club going with. This feels like a good follow-up to "Sex Variant Women In Literature", which I read earlier this year. Excited about this one.