Allen Barnett

Allen Barnett (May 23, 1955 – August 14, 1991) was an American writer. Although he published only one volume of short stories, The Body and Its Dangers, during his lifetime, the book is widely regarded as one of the most artistically significant depictions of gay life at the height of the AIDS crisis.

Born near Joliet, Illinois, Barnett studied theatre at Loyola University Chicago. He worked for Herbert Breslin in the late 1980s, and after Barnett published his first short story, "Succor", in Christopher Street in 1986, Breslin forwarded Barnett's short stories to a friend who worked for St. Martin's Press.

Barnett died on August 14, 1991, of AIDS-related causes.

Works The Body and Its Dangers