NIGHTWOOD -DJUNA BARNES

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I read this based on the high recommendations and praise that Death Is Just Around The Corner constantly heaping on the book. Additionally, Williams Burroughs, my problematic fav, is also a big fan, which is impressive given that it’s a book by and about lesbians and huge, typically, a huge misogynist. There’s also a T. S. Elliot intro (more on that later) where he goes on about how much he likes it as well. It seems like one of those books that works best read many times over a lifetime. The language is the main draw; it’s amazingly written full of all sorts of bizarre, wonderful sentences, “we all carry about with us the house of death - the skeleton” or “a man is another person - a woman is yourself.” That second one brings us to the major theme of the book, lesbianism. In fact, the depiction the book gives of early 20th century gay and specifically lesbian life is what the book is most known for now. Which is somewhat flattening, given how well it’s written. The plot, such as it is, involves a strange, unknowable, “boy-like” woman who enchants and beguiles 2 other women and a husband. She is flighty and strange, and will literally just walk out the door and not come back and these various other people in her life go insane trying to be in love with her. But the book itself is mostly long speeches about art and the nature of love or nights or the differences between French and Italian priests, etc. There’s so much squeezed I can easily understand why people would become obsessed and reread. I liked it much more towards the end, after I caught the vibe, I’m sure a reread would open up the whole thing to me. The only thing I’d hold against it is the long passages, especially towards the beginning, about The Jew and his wiley ways. Obviously, the T. S. Eliot thing should have been a red-flag and if this did allow me to reflect on the “Wandering Jew” stereotype and how, as an anti-nationalist fairy-tale, I sort of consider it something to strive for, but either way, thumbs down to her weird mid-century antisemitism. Otherwise wonderful though, an amazing depiction of anguish. 36 Nights