This tour de force of a graphic novel brings to life the 20th century's most famous unknown, an unforgettable American original.” —Eric Orner, author of Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank
“Jon Macy's beguiling graphics perfectly capture the tempestuous life of Djuna Barnes, in all its decadence and tenderness, despair and ambition, suffering and transcendence. I was completely enthralled.” —Rob Kirby, author and illustrator of Marry Me a Little
“Beautifully drawn and well-researched, Djuna Barnes’ riveting life story is exuberant, sexy, exasperating, fascinating, and complicated. Laced with clever banter, dark humor, and juicy lesbian drama, this brilliant biography explores how Barnes formed her art and ideas alongside other artists who broke social barriers and created community for strength and survival.” —Jennifer Camper, author of Rude Girls and Dangerous Women
“This book is not one to be missed. It is sure to become essential reading for all fans of literary or queer history. The epic tale captures the incredible spirit and the story of Djuna Barnes in a way that's both poignant and accessible.” —Josh Trujilo, author of Washington's Gay General
“Jon Macy's Djuna is a tour de force, a wild rollercoaster ride showcasing the extraordinary life of Djuna Barnes, one of the greatest writers of her era. The story is expertly depicted by Macy, a master cartoonist who has poured his heart and soul into this book. The result is one of the most beautiful comics biographies ever made.” —Justin Hall, editor of No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics
“Quite possibly the most bisexual graphic biography you will ever find. A fascinating look into the lives of Djuna Barnes and other brave, often troubled and iconoclastic women who forced their way in the world, insisting on the right to live and love as they pleased, and on being seen and heard.” —Robyn Ochs, editor of Bi Women Quarterly
“In Macy's capable hands, Djuna's life and work are stubborn, admirable attempts at self-determination, threaded with desperate bids for validation. His evocative black-and-white comics are punctuated by art-deco details-notably, the only color throughout is a bright auburn used for Djuna's hair and that of the family members she can't fully escape. Readers will marvel at Barnes's spirit and tenacity.” —Publishers Weekly
“Her life was undeniable spectacle: ‘the only label she accepted was genius.’ Macy, resurrects Djuna in dark expressive panels, particularly highlighting her hair in standout auburns. Washes of reds, blues, lavenders, and grays temper the nonlinear narrative as if attempting to contain Barnes’ larger-than-life experiences onto the pages. With self-admitted obsession, Macy eagerly introduces Barnes to new generations.” —Booklist
“A powerful introduction to a formidable personality . . . With visual stylings that recall Jazz Age poster art, Macy evokes the life and times of modernist Djuna Barnes, whose social circle was a veritable Rolodex of the Lost Generation.” —Kirkus Reviews
2024-08-02
Graphic biography of “the most famous unknown of the [20th] century.”
With visual stylings that recall Jazz Age poster art, Macy evokes the life and times of modernist Djuna Barnes, whose social circle was a veritable Rolodex of the Lost Generation. Macy begins in medias res, as Peggy Guggenheim rushes to Barnes’ rescue for the umpteenth time in 1938, “another bad year for Djuna Barnes.” Macy then takes readers back to 1912 and Barnes’ early career as a journalist, at 19 supporting her mother and younger brothers. From there, he goes back even further, to Barnes’ decidedly unusual childhood in an ill-fated utopian commune established by her grandmother to promote free love—and from which she was married off at 17 against her will. Her father, characterized by Macy as “an idiot manchild,” was a talentless artist, but Barnes had talent to spare. Her “special brand of snark” helped her find a home with the literary elite, among whom “Djuna was on a mission to be as experimental an artist as possible.” To give readers a taste of what this means, Macy works quotations of her writing into the dialogue from time to time. These snippets attest to her facility with modernist wordplay; his presentation of an English-language reading of her 1958 play,The Antiphon, reveals her at possibly her most challenging (“What does ‘fornication of the mint’ mean?” wonders an audience member). Barnes’ fiery red hair draws the eye in Macy’s otherwise monochromatic panels, visually underscoring the vitality that made Guggenheim and T.S. Eliot such loyal friends. She was not so lucky with lovers, of whom there were many and of such variety that in her waning years “she became an LGBT icon” (but rejected the label). By the end, readers will understand Macy’s admiration for this woman whose “greatest creation was herself.”
A powerful introduction to a formidable personality.
