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Interviews

© Joanna Briscoe

INTERVIEWS

2 July 2023 - "Julian Barnes: Arthur and George." Bookclub (hosted by James Naughtie), BBC Radio 4. [Julian Barnes returns to Bookclub to answer readers' questions about his Booker-shortlisted novel Arthur and George; 27 mins].

1 July 2022 - "Julian Barnes: ‘When I first read EM Forster, I thought he was a bit wet’." The Guardian. Julian Barnes on books and authors in this Q&A for The Guardian.

16 April 2020 - "Julian Barnes Tells His Neighbor Rachel Whiteread What Pisses Him Off About Grief" Interview Magazine.

May 2018 - Julian Barnes appears on the Men in Blazers Podcast to discuss his new novel and sports (recorded in April 2018).

3 April 2018 - (Interview) - 'Julian Barnes Q&A: “I might have made a useful priest, perhaps in rural France”,' The New Statesman.

29/01/2018 - Rachel Cooke. "Julian Barnes: ‘Flaubert could have written a great novel about contemporary America’." The Guardian. ["The writer discusses his latest novel The Only Story, the demands of modern readers and his fondness for unusual books."]

24 April 2017 - Julian Barnes about "The Noise Of Time" and Shostakovich in Russia [Video Available].

07/03/16 - "Julian Barnes Talks about The Noise of Time." To the Best of Our Knowldged, Wisconsin Public Radio.

06/05/2016 - Wachtel, Eleanor. "Julian Barnes about love, loss and Dmitri Shostakovich." Writers & Company (CBC). [Audio Interview].

06/05/2016 - Zheng, Haiyao. [Interview with Julian Barnes.] Shanghai Review of Books and The Paper [Julian Barnes's first interview for a Chinese publication.]

06/03/2016 - Adams, James. "In new novel, Julian Barnes tests the noise of time through art and biography." The Globe & Mail, 3 June 2016. [Profile/Interview].

05/26/2016 - Freeman, John. "How the Writer Edits: Julian Barnes." Literary Hub. [Interview].

Spring 2014 - Beyond Words - Damian Fowler, Listen: Life with Classical Music

04/25/2013 - Julian Barnes: "I do believe in grudge-bearing" Soumya Bhattacharya, New Statesman

12/12/2011 - An Evening with Julian Barnes - Lauren Collins, The New Yorker

11/04/2011 - Julian Barnes on crafting a story - Carol Off, CBC.ca

Summer 2008 - Nothing To Be Frightened Of: An Interview with Julian Barnes - Scarlett Baron, The Oxonian Review of Books (7.3)

04/04/2008 - The View From Here Interview: Julian Barnes - Mike French, The View from Here (Blog)

03/16/2008 - Julian Barnes: not dead yet, just dying. - Susannah Herbert, The Sunday Times

03/13/2008 - Julian Barnes: interview - John O'Connell, TimeOut

03/01/2008 - Julian Barnes: Life as he knows it - Kate Summerscale, Telegraph

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04/04/2007 - Julian Barnes: The Final Interview - Vanessa Guignery and Ryan Roberts
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

Autumn 2007 - Are You an Oldie? - Margaret Crick, The Oldie Review of Books
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

09/23/2006 - The Inscrutable Mr Barnes - Jasper Rees, Telegraph

07/10/2006 - A entrevista a Julian Barnes: o documento completo - Xesús Fraga, Rinoceronte Editora
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

02/13/2006 - Julian and Arthur and George - Georgie Lewis, Powells.com

Feb 2006 - An Interview With Julian Barnes - Abebooks.co.uk
[Arthur & George, as well as books and book-related issues]

02/03/2006 - A Long Way from Holmes - Rob Thomas, The Capital Times

01/31/2006 - Elementary Justice: Julian Barnes Discusses Arthur & George - John Freeman, New City Chicago

01/29/2006 - Sir Arthur Investigates - Casey Seiler, The Times Union

01/25/2006 - Q&A — Julian Barnes - Bill Eichenberger, The Columbus Dispatch

01/23/2006 - Fact and Fiction - Fritz Lanham, The Houston Chronicle

01/22/2006 - Reconstructing a Case - Regis Behe, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

10/08/2005 - A Pretty Good Bet - Pat Donnelly, The Gazette

10/08/2005 - Booker Front-Runner - Aritha van Herk, The Calgary Herald

10/06/2005 - Down at the Pub with Julian - Elizabeth Renzetti, Globe and Mail

09/01/2005 - Julian Barnes in Conversation - James McCloskey, The Brooklyn Rail

08/21/2005 - Julian Barnes: Arthur & George - The New Zealand Herald

07/06/2005 - It's for self-protection - Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

10/31/2004 - Big Ideas - Program 5 - 'Julian Barnes' - Ramona Koval, ABC Radio National
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

July 2003 - Flaubert's Parrot - Harriet Gilbert, BBC World Book Club

06/29/2003 - Cool, Clean Man of Letters - Nadine O'Regan, Sunday Business Post
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

2002 - Julian Barnes in Conversation (PDF) - Vanessa Guignery, Cercles 4 p.255-269
[Interview conducted by Vanessa Guignery during a Flaubert's Parrot conference in Rouen, November 2001. Available in .pdf format. Conversations with Julian Barnes.]

12/01/2002 - Interview: Julian Barnes -- I May Not Like It Much, But I Still Live Here - Simon O'Hagan, Independent on Sunday p.10
[Barnes discusses the installation of a new satellite system that receives French television]

10/06/2002 - There's something about France (Q&A: Julian Barnes) - San Francisco Chronicle p.2

06/03/2002 - Interviews: Julian Barnes - Peter Wild, Bookmunch.co.uk p.255-269
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

05/19/2002 - The Books Interview - The Observer p.17
[Interview upon the publication of In the Land of Pain.]

01/18/2002 - Barnes and France: Love Requited - Alex Webb, BBC Online: Arts
[Interview with Barnes upon the publication of Something to Declare.]

01/16/2002 - You ask the questions: Julian Barnes - Independent
[Q & A from readers upon the publication of Something to Declare.]

01/13/2002 - Shelf Life: Julian Barnes - Scotland on Sunday
[Q & A with Barnes upon the publication of Something to Declare.]

08/05/2001 - My Team Leicester City - Observer Sport Monthly p.61
[Interview about Barnes's lifetime devotion to the Leicester City team]

03/01/2001 - Barnes Burner: British author Julian Barnes reflects life as we live it. - Scott Timberg, The New Times LA
[Shorter version of Timberg's interview upon the U.S. publication of Love, etc.]

01/28/2001 - A Tip of the Hat to Kurosawa - Scott Timberg, Hartford Courant
[Interview upon the U.S. publication of Love, etc.]

Winter 2000 - Julian Barnes, The Art of Fiction No. 165 - Shusha Guppy, The Paris Review (157) p.54-84 [Conversations with Julian Barnes]

11/08/2000 - Giving up criticism is much easier than giving up alcohol or tobacco - Lidia Vianu, Sources 8

Spring 2000 - History in question(s): An Interview with Julian Barnes - Vanessa Guignery, The Paris Review p.59-72 [Conversations with Julian Barnes]

Let's Talk about Love, etc: An interview with Julian Barnes - Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk

1999 - Robert Birnbaum Interviews Julian Barnes - Robert Birnbaum, Julian Barnes Website
[Interview upon the U.S. publication of England, England. Conversations with Julian Barnes]

11/1999 - El Rincón del Escritor Julian Barnes - Antonio Lozano, Que Leer p.112-113
[Spanish interview upon the publication of Inglaterra, Inglaterra.]

05/26/1999 - Julian Barnes on His New Novel England, England - Bob Edwards, NPR Morning Edition
[Interview upon the publication of the US edition of England, England.]

05/13/1999 - How British Influence in the World Has Changed Over the Last 50 Years and How Britain Itself Has Changed in That Time - Melinda Penkava, NPR Talk of the Nation
[Interview with Julian Barnes and Andrew Sullivan upon the publication of the US edition of England, England.]

04/12/1999 - Julian Barnes Is Just a Normal Guy - Lesley Hazleton, The Seattle Times
[Interview upon the publication of the US edition of England, England.]

07/1999 - 'Novels come out of life, not out of theories': An Interview with Julian Barnes - Rudolf Freiburg
[Do You Consider Yourself a Postmodern Author?: Interviews with Contemporary English Writers Edited by Rudolf Freiburg and Jan Schnitker, Münster: LIT p.39-66, Conversations with Julian Barnes]

09/08/1998 - Inventing England - Penelope Dening, Irish Times p.12
[Interview upon the publication of England, England.]

08/30/1998 - Bibliofile: featuring Julian Barnes - Sunday Times
[Interview upon the publication of England, England.]

08/30/1998 - He's turned towards Python. (But not the dead Flaubert's Parrot sketch…): Interview with Julian Barnes - Observer Review p.15
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

08/30/1998 - Why Don't We Make It All Up? - Steven Poole, Independent p.10
[Interview upon the publication of England, England.]

08/29/1998 - A Vision of England - John Lancaster, Daily Telegraph p.5
[Interview upon the publication of England, England.]

02/14/1998 - Shaken and Not Stirred - Caroline Baum, Sydney Morning Herald p.9
[Interview upon the publication of Cross Channel and Barnes's participation in Australia's Adelaide Writers' Week]

12/1997 - Into the Lion's Mouth: A Conversation with Julian Barnes - Michael March, The New Presence [The conversation seems to center around Barnes's influences and his book The Porcupine. Conversations with Julian Barnes]

05/13/1996 - Old Fartery and Literary Dish - Carl Swanson, Salon Magazine
[Interview upon the publication of Cross Channel.]

01/13/1996 - Novel Escape - Christopher Hawtree, Times p.18-19, 21-22
[Interview upon the publication of Cross Channel.]

01/07/1996 - The Grand Fromage Matures - Kate Kellaway, Observer Review
[Interview upon the publication of Cross Channel.]

10/27/1995 - Windows on to the French - Bookseller p.26-27
[Interview upon the publication of Cross Channel.]

07/1994 - LA INTELIGENCIA DE LOS LECTORES: UNA ENTREVISTA CON JULIAN BARNES - Silvia Lemus, (Traducción de Julio Trujillo) Nexos (199) [Spanish interview.]

11/1993 - Julian Barnes: Un savoureux éclectisme - Claude Mourthé, Magazine littéraire (315) p.96-102 [French interview upon the publication of Le porc-épic.]

1993 - Conversar Con el Presente: Entrevista Con Julian Barnes - Miguel Ángel Quemain, Quimera (124) p.24-30 [Spanish interview upon the publication of El puercoespín.]

11/22/1992 - Chameleon Novelist - Mira Stout, New York Times Review of Books
[Interesting piece in which Mira Stout travels with Barnes to his childhood home]

11/07/1989 - The World's History and Then Some in 10½ Chapters - Bruce Cook, Daily News LA
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

11/03/1989 - Julian Barnes - Amanda Smith, Publisher's Weekly (236.18) p.73-74
[Interview upon the publication of A History of the World in 10½ Chapters.]

10/15/1989 - Endpapers: A Talk with Julian Barnes - Alexander Stuart, Los Angeles Times p.15
[Interview upon the publication of A History of the World in 10½ Chapters.]

06/18/1989 - From Flaubert's Parrot to Noah's woodworm - Kate Saunders, Sunday Times p.G8-9
[Interview upon the publication of A History of the World in 10½ Chapters.]

Fall 1987 - Julian Barnes - Patrick McGrath, Bomb (21) p.21-23
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

05/18/1987 - Julian Barnes' Big Questions: The British Novelist Tackling the Unknown - Elizabeth Kastor, Washington Post Book World B1, B9
[Interview upon the publication of A History of the World in 10½ Chapters.]

04/16/1986 - Julian Barnes n'en a pas fini avec Flaubert - Jean-Pierre Salgas, La Quinzaine littéraire (463) p.13
[French interview upon the publication of Le perroquet de Flaubert.]

02/1986 - Julian Barnes - Mick Sinclair, Zigzag (3.5) p.13
[Discusses Barnes's role as a television critic.]

07/31/1981 - Escape from Metroland - Caroline Holland, Islington Gazette (31) p.16
[Conversations with Julian Barnes]

05/1980 - Julian Barnes in Interview - Ronald Hayman, Books & Bookmen p.36-37
[Interview upon the publication of Metroland and Duffy; Conversations with Julian Barnes.]

AUDIO INTERVIEWS

09/16/2013 - Julian Barnes, Ali Smith, Sandra Smith & Adam Thirlwell on translated literature - Adam Thirlwell, The Royal Society of Literature
[A conversation between three champions of translated literature - the writer and francophile Julian Barnes, the novelist Ali Smith, and Irène Némirovsky's translator, Sandra Smith - as they discuss the challenges of Anglocentricity, the relationship between authors and their translators, and the role of translators in shaping our cultural imagination and inheritance.]

04/03/2013 - Julian Barnes - Mark Lawson, Front Row (BBC Radio 4) [Levels of Life]

11/02/2012 - Barnes: 'Novels tell truth about life' - Will Gompertz, BBC Arts [Through the Window]

08/10/2012 - Julian Barnes: The Sense of an Ending - Kurt Andersen, Studio 360

11/20/2011 - Julian Barnes Interview - Eleanor Wachtel, Writers & Company
[An hour-long interview with Julian Barnes in which the author discusses the novel, Nothing to Be Frightened of, his family while growing up, and his thoughts on death and the life lived. A wonderful and rich interview.]

11/08/2011 - Conversation: Julian Barnes, Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize - Jeffrey Brown, PBS Newshour Art Beat

11/08/2011 - Speak, Memory: 'An Ending' That Uncovers The Past - Linda Wertheimer, NPR Weekend Edition

11/04/2011 - Julian Barnes - Carol Off, As It Happens
["I had learnt the ins and outs of not winning the Booker...so it was nice to see the other side," Barnes tells As It Happens host Carol Off during a recent interview.]

10/18/2011 - At a glance: Man Booker shortlist 2011 - Rebecca Jones, BBC Today

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02/11/2010 - Julian Barnes reads Frank O'Connor - Deborah Treisman, New Yorker: Fiction

03/04/2008 - Julian Barnes - Philip Dodd, Night Waves

03/03/2008 - Julian Barnes - Mark Lawson, BBC Front Row [Nothing to be Frightened of]

02/08/2007 - Tout arrive - France Culture [French Interview]

02/03/2007 - Carnet nomade - France Culture [French Interview]

02/01/2007 - Humeur vagabonde - France Inter. [French Interview]

2006 - Julian Barnes - Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column [Arthur & George]

04/24/2006 - An Unofficial Englishman - Kate Summerscale, The Royal Society of Literature
[Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, discusses the fascination of crime and detection, his feelings about England and 'Englishness', and why writing remains not just a pleasure but a necessity with Kate Summerscale.]

02/21/2006 - Julian Barnes - Gretchen Holbrook, The Book Show: Episode #919 [Arthur & George]

01/30/2006 - Imagining Arthur Conan Doyle - Leonard Lopate, WNYC [Arthur & George]

03/02/2004 - Julian Barnes - Mark Lawson, BBC Radio 4 Front Row [The Lemon Table]

11/01/2002 - Book Indexes - BBC Radio 4 Front Row
[Interview with Julian Barnes, index writer Hazel Bell and Professor of English Steve Connor about a fine art to compiling the perfect index.]

05/22/2002 - Julian Barnes and Christopher Hampton - BBC Radio 4 Front Row
[Interview about the nature of translations.]

11/14/2001 - Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot - Sorbonne, Paris
[The full transcript of the interview, together with an introduction and a bibliography on Flaubert's Parrot, was published in English by Études britanniques contemporaines: Gallix François and Vanessa Guignery. "Julian Barnes at the Sorbonne. 14th November 2001" Études britanniques contemporaines (21) Dec/2001 p.107-32]

03/07/2001 - Julian Barnes and Jay McInerney - NYTimes Online
[Interview at the New York Public Library in conjunction with the U.S. publication of Love, etc.]

12/05/1999 - Julian Barnes - James Naughtie, Bookclub BBC Radio 4
[James Naughtie and a group of readers talk to writer Julian Barnes about his fascination with the 19th century French novelist Gustave Flaubert.]

01/28/1996 - Julian Barnes - Sue Lawley, Desert Island Discs BBC Radio 4
[About his passion for Flaubert, his love for Leicester City, his notions of love and his fear of death.]

10/25/1991 - Julian Barnes Interview with Don Swaim - Don Swaim, Wired for Sound
[Julian Barnes discusses some of the situations in his latest novel, Talking It Over, and describes the main character, Oliver. He also talks about France's relationship with England and his work with the Oxford English Dictionary.]

VIDEO INTERVIEWS

10/18/2011 - Julian Barnes on his 'gratifying' Man Booker Prize win - Gavin Esler, BBC Newsnight
[Julian Barnes has talked to Gavin Esler on Newsnight about what it feels like to win the Man Booker Prize, after making the shortlist for the fourth time with his winning novel "The Sense of an Ending".]

09/22/2006 - Interview with Julian Barnes - Gavin Esler, BBC News Hardtalk [Arthur & George]

2001 - Julian Barnes - Clive James, Talking in the Library (www.clivejames.com)
[Julian Barnes became world famous as the author of Flaubert's Parrot, and has gone on to consolidate his reputation as one of the most subtle writers of his time, both as a novelist and an essayist. Although a star guest on French television, the bilingual author is seldom to be seen on small screens in Britain, because the atmosphere of a standard studio is one he would rather avoid. Talking in the library, he shows us what we have been missing, in a conversation that will fascinate his admirers all over the world.]