Books About Julian Barnes

 

	Conversations with Julian Barnes collects eighteen interviews, conducted over nearly three decades, by journalists and correspondents throughout the world with the author (b. 1946) of such highly praised novels as Flaubert’s Parrot and Arthur & George. The interviews collectively address the entirety of Julian Barnes’s varied works and provide readers the most vivid portrait yet of contexts and influences behind his ten novels, his short stories, and his essays. The interviews focus not only on the author’s fiction but also on his essays, translations, and pseudonymous writings. Barnes’s evolving understanding of the themes developed in his works (history, truth, love, art, and death), his views on the art of the writing process, and the role of authors in contemporary society are also discussed at length. Conversations with Julian Barnes Edited by Vanessa Guignery and Ryan Roberts University Press of Mississippi, April 2009. Pp. 212 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, the University Press of Mississippi, or through other fine booksellers. A paperback edition is also available.

	From the Publisher: "This book presents an accessible introduction to the work of Julian Barnes which places it in historical and theoretical context. It presents a comprehensive and accessible introduction to all of Barnes' publications to date. It includes a timeline of important dates to help place new British fiction in context. It also provides an overview of the varied critical reception his work has provoked. This guide explores his characteristic literary techniques, offers extensive readings of all ten novels and provides an overview of the varied critical reception his work has provoked." Frederick M. Holmes Julian Barnes (New British Fiction) Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Pp. 176 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or through other fine booksellers.

	Vanessa Guignery has written extensively about Julian Barnes, including her most recent book, The Fiction Of Julian Barnes (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006). Her insightful and scholarly critiques of Barnes's works are complemented by accessible writing and a genuine understanding of the author. Covers all novels from Metroland through Arthur & George. This book should be read by anyone studying Barnes's work. Vanessa Guignery The Fiction of Julian Barnes: A Reader's Guide to Essential Criticism Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Pp. 240 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or through other fine booksellers.

	A terrific resource that examine the works of Julian Barnes from Metroland through Love, etc. Matthew Pateman offers straightforward commentary of the novels, while retaining a high level of scholarship and interpretation. A must-read for anyone studying Barnes's work. Matthew Pateman Julian Barnes: Writers and Their Work Northcote House, 2002. Pp. 106 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or through other fine booksellers.

	Bruce Sesto's book offers moderate insight into Barnes's work. Covering Metroland through The Porcupine, the work is essentially Sesto's dissertation published in the mid-1990s. Contains a few errors, but otherwise a harmless examination of Barnes's work. Considering the price, try consulting other works before attempting this one. Bruce Sesto Language, History, And Metanarrative In the Fiction of Julian Barnes (Studies In Twentieth-Century British Literature, Vol. 3) Peter Lang, 2001. Pp. 136 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or through other fine booksellers.

	Merritt Moseley's book represents perhaps the first book-length study of Barnes's work. Moseley covers Metroland through The Porcupine, including some short stories and Barnes's pseudonymous work as Dan Kavanagh. Written at a basic level, this book offers a nice introduction to Barnes's major works and themes. Merritt Moseley Understanding Julian Barnes Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1997. Pp. 198 Order online through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or through other fine booksellers.