Natalie Barney
Natalie Barney was an influential American expatriate writer and salonnière, born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1876. Coming from a wealthy Victorian family, she received an erratic education, as it was presumed she would marry. By the age of eleven, she and her sister were sent to boarding school in France, eventually returning to the United States before permanently relocating to Paris in 1909. Barney became known for her literary salon, which she hosted for nearly sixty years, attracting prominent figures such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, and Gertrude Stein. She was openly involved in romantic relationships with women, notably with the courtesan Liane de Pougy, a relationship that inspired published works and gossip in French society.
Barney's literary contributions included poetry, personal reflections, and books primarily written in French, addressing themes of life, sexuality, and womanhood, which were considered revolutionary for her time. Although she was enigmatic and often withdrew from social interactions, her presence and ideas left a lasting impact, influencing her contemporaries and later generations. Barney passed away in Paris at the age of ninety-six, leaving behind a legacy celebrated for its bold exploration of identity and artistic expression.
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Subject Terms
Natalie Barney
Hostess
- Born: October 31, 1876
- Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio
- Died: April 24, 1972
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
Natalie Barney was born in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Albert Clifford Barney and Alice Pike Barney. Like many girls from wealthy Victorian families, her early schooling was somewhat erratic because it was believed that such girls would simply grow up and marry. At age eleven, Natalie Barney and her younger sister, Laura, attended boarding school in France. By 1889, both girls returned to the United States, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. The family spent summers in Bar Harbor, and often traveled to Europe. As an adolescent, Natalie Barney was independent, and defied convention by pursuing her own interests, which included French literature and culture, Greek literature, poetry, the violin, and romantic encounters with other women.
Barney had her first serious love affair with the famous Belle Epoque courtesan Liane de Pougy. Their affair was conducted openly in front of French society, and they were often discussed in gossip sheets. In 1901, Liane de Pougy published Idylle sapphique, a thinly disguised account of her affair with Barney.
By 1909, Barney had moved to Paris permanently, taking up residence at a house on Rue Jacob. She established a literary salon at the residence which lasted for nearly sixty years. Her Friday gatherings attracted many important literary figures of the time, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Sinclair Lewis, Gertrude Stein, and numerous others. In addition to literary events, there were poetry readings and music premiers, most notably George Anthiel’s “First String Quartet.”
Many of Barney’s friends thought her enigmatic. She would encourage wit and brilliance in others, but would often withdraw from them. Because she seemed so unknowable, many of her literary associates incorporated her into their works. She was the model for the heroine of several fiction books, and she was featured in poems by Ezra Pound. Remy de Gourmont published his love letters to her in Lettres a l ’amazon, and gave her the nickname “the Amazon.” Although Barney could not cook, one of her recipes appears in the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook. As well, the French/English literary review Adam devoted a magazine issue to her, and in 1975, she was the principal subject in The Paris Review.
She is noted for her pensées (personal reflections), poetry, and books, which were mostly writtten in French. Her writings reflect her opinions on life, sex, and being a woman, and her writings were considered revolutionary because of her thoughts on these subjects. Barney died in Paris at the age of ninety-six.