Books

The following represents a complete listing of books written by Julian Barnes.
For books written by Dan Kavanagh, please visit www.dankavanagh.com.

Metroland

		Metroland was Julian Barnes's first novel. It took between 7-8 years to write and draws heavily on his personal experiences growing up in the suburbs of London. Written in three parts, the first section focuses on the friendship of Christopher and Toni and their childhood disgust for the bourgeoisie. The second section finds Christopher in Paris during les événements of 1968, where he misses out on the events because he is too busy having sex. The last section outlines Christopher's life back in the London suburbs, his marriage, his child, and his stable job. When Toni returns to question Christopher's loss of their early childhood philosophy, Christopher is faced with the dilemma of turning his back on his wife and child or acknowledging that he has become what he once despised. Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award for a first novel.

Before She Met Me

		Barnes's second book under his own name. Graham Hendrick divorces, remarries, and finds himself consumed with jealousy as he investigates his new wife's former love affairs. The novel is gritty, shocking, and quite moving in its portrayal of the slow deterioration of its central character.

Flaubert's Parrot

		Barnes's "breakthrough" novel about an English doctor's obsession with Gustave Flaubert and his use of Flaubert's writings to make sense of his own life. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Staring at the Sun

		Barnes examines the ordinary life of Jean Serjeant from her childhood in the 1920s through her adulthood to the year 2021. Throughout her life, Jean learns to question the world's idea of truth while she explores the beauty and miracles of everyday life.

A History of the World in 10½ Chapters

		Connecting themes of voyage and discovery, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters has become one of Barnes's most studied and talked about novels. The mixture of fictional and historical narratives provides Barnes the opportunity to question our ideas of history, our interpretation of facts, and our search for answers to explain our interaction and placement within the grand scope of history. "Frequently brilliant, funny, thoughtful, iconoclastic and a delight to read." -- Salman Rushdie, Observer

Talking It Over

		The ostentatious Oliver falls in love with quiet Gillian and wants to marry her. The problem? Gillian has already married Oliver's best and oldest friend, the somewhat stale but stable Stuart. Each character takes turns addressing the reader in this bright and funny "he said/she said/he said" novel.

The Porcupine

		With the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, the deposed Party leader Stoyo Petkanov is standing trial for crimes against his country. Unrepentant, Petkanov faces his chief prosecutor, Peter Solinsky, questioning Solinsky's (and the country's) ideas of history and nationalism.

Letters from London

		Barnes served as London correspondent for the New Yorker between 1990-1995, writing a series of essays under the collective title of "Letters from London". Gathered here, along with a few essays published elsewhere, this collection constitutes Barnes's first published book of non-fiction.

Cross Channel

		A collection of short stories that explore the connections, similarities, and differences between England and France.

England, England

		Sir Jack Pitman creates a theme park on the Isle of Wight that duplicates the tourist spots of England. Within easy walking distance are replicas of Big Ben (half size), Princess Di's grave, Harrods, Stonehenge, and the white cliffs of Dover. Martha Cochrane is hired by Sir Jack as his official cynic. The novel follows her development from childhood to retirement as a nation struggles to retain its cultural identity. One of Barnes's finest and funniest novels, England, England calls into question the idea of replicas, truth vs. fiction, reality vs. art, nationhood, myth-making, and self-exploration.

Love, etc

		In Talking It Over, Stuart and Oliver fought for the love of Gillian. One of them won, but what happened next? Love, etc catches up with this trio after ten years only to find more chaos and confusion. Written in the same style as the prequel, Barnes takes the form a few steps further as the characters plead for the reader's attention.

Something to Declare

		A collection of essays on the subject of France and French culture written by Barnes over the previous twenty years. Subjects include the Tour de France, French food, and, of course, Gustave Flaubert.

In the Land of Pain

		A translation of Alphonse Daudet's notes written during his suffering with syphilis. Written by Alphonse Daudet; Edited & Translated by Julian Barnes

The Pedant in the Kitchen

		A collection of essays on the preparation, consumption, and enjoyment of food.

The Lemon Table

		A collection of short stories on the nuances of life and its insurmountable end.

Arthur & George

		A novel about low crime and high spirituality; guilt and innocence; identity, nationality and race; and thwarted passion.

Nothing to be Frightened of

		‘I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.’ Julian Barnes’ new book is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his brother (a philosopher), a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and a homage to the French writer Jules Renard. Though he warns us that ‘this is not my autobiography’, the result is like a tour of the mind of one of our most brilliant writers. When Angela Carter reviewed Barnes’s first novel, Metroland, she praised the mature way he wrote about death. Now, nearly thirty years later, he returns to the subject in a wise , funny and constantly surprising book, which defies category and classification – except as Barnesian.

Pulse

		A new collection of stories to be published in January 2011.