"Barry Gifford . . . makes us speculate whether somewhere in 1945, Flannery O'Connor and Jim Thompson may have run across each other." - Chicago Tribune

Barry Gifford is an American writer: a novelist, poet, writer of nonfiction, and screenwriter. In his novels and screenplays, he oscillates between hard-boiled crime fiction, poetic musing and utter strangeness. His novels are well known for how they evoke a strong sense of place- be it the Gulf Coast, Paris, or the American Southwest. His best known work in film comes from his work with David Lynch: The movie Wild at Heart which is based on his novel of the same name, and Lost Highway, which he co-wrote.

He was born on October 18, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his childhood there, in Key West and in Tampa, Florida. He currently lives in the San Fransisco area. He has won an array of awards, and has been translated into many languages. He's pretty famous, but should be more so.

Television:
Hotel Room 1993

Film:
Wild at Heart (from his novel) 1990
Lost Highway (co-writer, with David Lynch) 1997
Perdita Durango (from his novel 59 Degrees and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango) 1997
Beneath the Banyan Trees (co-writer) 2001
Sultans of Africa, still in production.

Translations:
Selected Poems of Francis Jammes (with Bettina Dickie)
Naked Girl a Poemplay by Francis Jammes (with Bettina Dickie)


Nonfiction:
Day at the Races: The Education of a Racetracker
The Devil Thimbs a Ride & Other Unforgettable Films
The Neighborhood of Baseball: A Personal History of the Chicago Cubs
Saroyan: A Biography (with Lawrence Lee)
Jack's Book: An Oral Biography of Jack Kerouac (with Lawrence Lee)
Really the Blues (introduction)
The Phantom Father: A Memoir
Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir


Plays:
Hotel Room Trilogy (Two of these were in the TV show)

Photography:
Bordertown (with David Perry)
Hot Rod (with David Perry)

Poetry:
Ghosts No Horse Can Carry: Collected Poems 1967-1987
Giotto's Circle
Beautiful Phantoms: Selected Poems 1968-1980
Persimmons: Poems for Paintings
The Boy You Have Always Loved
Poems from Snail Hut
Horse hauling timber out of Hokkaido forest
Coyote Tantras
The Blood of the Parade
Replies to Wang Wei: Poems
Flaubert at Key West: New and Selected Poems


The Sailor and Lula Novels:
Wild at Heart
59 Degrees and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango (better known as just Perdita Durango)
Sailor's Holiday (which is the name of a 0ovel, as well as of a collection comprising Perdita Durango, Sailor's Holiday, Sultans of Africa, and Consuelo's Kiss)
Sultans of Africa
Consuelo's Kiss
Bad Day for the Leopard Man

Other Fiction:
Arise and Walk
Night People
A Good Man to Know
New Mysteries of Paris
Port Tropique
An Unfortunate Woman
Landscape with Traveler: The Pillow Book of Francis Reeves
Francis Goes to the Seashore: The Pillow Book of Francis Reeves (I have not seen this book and am unsure as to its relation to Landscape with Traveler)
A Boy's Novel
Baby Cat-Face
My Last Martini : Stories
Sinola Story
Wyoming

Misc:
As Ever: The Collected Correspondence of Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady
information from book jacket biographical info, barrygifford.com, and imdb.