Natalie Clifford Barney (October 31, 1876 – February 2, 1972) was an American writer who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris that brought together French and international writers. She influenced other authors through her salon and also with her poetry, plays, and epigrams, often thematically tied to her lesbianism and feminism
Barney was born in to a wealthy family. She was partly educated in France, and expressed a desire from a young age to live openly as a lesbian. She moved to France with her first romantic partner, Eva Palmer. Inspired by the work of Sappho, Barney began publishing love poems to women under her own name as early as 1900. Writing in both French and English, she supported feminism and pacifism. She opposed monogamy and had many overlapping long and short-term relationships, including on-and-off romances with poet Renée Vivien and courtesan Liane de Pougy and longer relationships with writer Élisabeth de Gramont and painter Romaine Brooks.
Barney hosted a salon at her home in Paris for more than 60 years, bringing together writers and artists from around the world, including many leading figures in French, American, and British literature. Attendees of various sexualities expressed themselves and mingled comfortably at the weekly gatherings. She worked to promote writing by women and hosted a "Women's Academy" (L'Académie des Femmes) in her salon as a response to the all-male French Academy. The salon closed for the duration of World War II while Barney lived in Italy with Brooks. She initially espoused some pro-fascist views, but supported the Allies by the end of the war. After the war, she returned to Paris, resumed the salon, and continued influencing or inspiring writers such as Truman Capote.
Barney had a wide literary influence. Remy de Gourmont addressed public letters to her using the nickname l'Amazon (the Amazon), and Barney's association with both de Gourmont and the nickname lasted until her death. Her life and love affairs served as inspiration for many novels written by others, ranging from de Pougy's erotic French bestseller Idylle Saphique to Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, the most famous lesbian novel of the twentieth century.
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Some of their strengths
Natalie Clifford Barney has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intuitive, Feeling, Honest, Energetic, Adventurous, Ambitious, and Practical.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Natalie Clifford Barney is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who is a bit of a "lone wolf".
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Natalie Clifford Barney well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Ambitious and Forceful
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Natalie Clifford Barney as someone who is ambitious, hard-working, determined, and intelligent.
A person who has a knack for identifying opportunities, has amazing concentration and focus, who can work independently, who likes starting new things, and who is somewhat of an intellectual.
Wise and Deep
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Natalie Clifford Barney is someone who tends to have an internal innate wisdom, and who people tend to see as an "old soul".
They are also someone who is curious, dynamic, and positive, and who enjoys inspiring and communicating with other people.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Natalie Clifford Barney tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Natalie Clifford Barney's challenges
While Natalie Clifford Barney has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Natalie Clifford Barney can be Complicated, Brusque, Short-tempered, Impulsive, Careless, Relentless, and Inflexible.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Natalie Clifford Barney's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Relentless and Inflexible
Natalie Clifford Barney is someone who can be relentless, obsessive, and inflexible, who can be confrontational with work colleagues, can have difficulty communicating feelings and be somewhat reclusive, and who can be self-destructive, overindulgent, and extravagant.
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Natalie Clifford Barney also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.
