Barry Gifford (born October 18, 1946) is an American writer, poet, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive blend of American landscapes and film noir and The Beat Generation, influenced by literary madness.

He is described by Patrick Beach "as if John Updike had an evil twin who grew up on the wrong side of the road and wrote funny ..." He is best known for his series of novels about Sailor and Lula, Two sex-driven and Star crossed. The first series, Wild at heart, was adapted by director David Lynch for the 1990 film of the same title. Gifford wrote the script for Lost Highway with Lynch. Much of Gifford's work is nonfiction.