Nightwood novel by Barnes Written by Drew Milne Drew Milne is the Judith E. Wilson Lecturer in Drama and Poetry, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge. He has edited Marxist Literary Theory and Modem Critical Thought. His novel is entitled... Drew Milne Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 19, 2026 •History Nightwood, novel by avant-garde American author Djuna Barnes that was first published in 1936. Often considered her masterpiece, it has been described as a classic of lesbian and of queer literature as well as of Modernist literature. Set mostly in Paris and New York, the novel describes a cosmopolitan drift of bohemians and exiles in Europe. The story, which does not unfold in a linear fashion, begins with the birth in 1880 in Vienna of...

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