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3.0 

Ladies Almanack

By Djuna Barnes
Ladies Almanack by Djuna Barnes digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

"Lesbianism, its flories and sorows, is the subject and quest of this marvelously erverse sentimental journey by Nightwood's author... A striking lesbian mainfesto and a deft parody."
Library Journal
Blending fiction, myth, and revisionary parody and accompanied by the author's delightful illustrations, Ladies Almanac is also a brilliant modernist composition and arguably the most audacious lesbian text of its time. While the book pokes fun at the wealthy expatriates who were Barnes' literary contemporaries and remains controversial today, it seems to have delighted its cast of characters, which was also the first audience. Barney herself subsidized its private publication in 1928. Fifty of the 1050 copies of the first edition were hand colored by the author, who was identified only as a lady of Fashion: on the title page.

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7 Reviews

3.0
“I've known of Barnes as a challenging read, so I didn't expect anything less, but it's a short work that celebrates (and lampoons, at the same time) lesbianism through the women that Barnes knew in real life. Though largely impenetrable, particularly because I only did surface reading, there are few funny jibes on traditional roles of women: "And at fifty, what has a Man but his wisdom, and what has a Woman, but more suddenly and therefore more pleasantly, that Wisdom also, for to man it comes with the stealth of a deep Sleep, and in a Sleep he is when he nods that he has it bagged, but to Woman it comes when she has no cause for Children and no effect for Babes! Then is she wise!" (p. 74) For most men, indeed, wisdom comes stealthily: across a life of poor decisions and revelry, wisdom finally smacks him in the head and knocks him sensible. In contrast, Barnes argues, women would have wisdom were it not for their concerns for children. In one sense, I'd agree: motherhood is a challenging and difficult chore that is poorly remunerated and is often thankless. There will be a lot of time for the lady to pursue herself and her independence if she chooses not to have children, which is something the modern-day woman is also open to. This is less story-like than the remnants I recall from Nightwood, but is a lot more upbeat and a significantly shorter book. Nevertheless, the linguistic complexity and abstruse allusions that Barnes makes in this book make it rather impenetrable for most readers. I don't even claim understanding: I do claim amusement.”
“Almanaque satírico das bobagens direcionadas para mulheres de um século atrás (ó céus, que ainda persistem!), com linguagem clássica e direcionada às "entendidas" dos salões parisienses da década de 20. Finíssimo.”

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