Djuna Barnes is an American writer and artist who lived from June 12, 1892, to June 18, 1982. Known for her avant-garde style and bohemian lifestyle, she played an important role in the development of 20th-century English-language modernist writing. Her work often delves into unorthodox themes of complex interpersonal relationships, sexuality, and gender roles, which made her a pioneering feminist voice of her time. Barnes's best-known work is the novel "Nightwood" (1936), which was lauded by fellow modernist writers such as T.S. Eliot for its lyrical prose and dense, multilayered narrative. Her earlier works include a lyrical novel, "Ryder" (1928), and a collection of plays and stories titled "A Book" (1923), later republished as "A Night Among the Horses" (1929). Across her literature, Barnes's unique, poetic prose and experimental approach to form and subject matter have secured her a lasting place in the canon of American modernist literature.