Dalkey Archive Essentials

A striking lesbian manifesto and a deft parody by the acclaimed author of Nightwood. (Library Journal) Blending fiction, myth, and revisionary parody, Ladies Almanack is a brilliant modernist composition and arguably the most audacious lesbian text of its time. While the book pokes fun at the wealthy Paris expatriates who were Barnes' literary contemporaries and remains controversial today, it seems to have delighted its cast of characters, who were also the books first audience. Arranged by month, it records the life and loves of Dame Evangeline Musset in a robust style taken from Shakespeare and Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. Published for the first time in decades, this edition features Barnes original woodcut illustrations and a new introduction by Sarah Schulman.