Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946 in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England) is a contemporary English writer. He has been shortlisted three times for the
Man Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe...
(
Flaubert's ParrotFlaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
(1984),
England, EnglandEngland, England is a satirical science fiction novel by Julian Barnes which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel is set in the Britain of the not-too-distant future, and chronicles the creation of a giant England themed amusement park, called "England, England", which also operates as...
(1998), and
Arthur & GeorgeArthur & George is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the 'Great Wyrley Outrages.'-Plot introduction:...
(2005)). He has written
crime fictionCrime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
under the
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
Dan Kavanagh.
Following an education at the
City of London SchoolThe City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and of the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
and
Magdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million....
, he worked as a lexicographer for the
Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language...
. Subsequently, he worked as a literary editor and film critic.
I read Hemingway's posthumous Paris memoirs, rumoured to have been written by his wife (
Out of the question,' Toni assured me,
You need one of those slave-driving old studio bosses if you ask me, not a sensitive graduate who went into movies because he liked the clouds in Antonioni and then turned himself into a nouvelle vague Deutscher all hot for Truthspiel.
Page 194.
Now, Stuart, as you will discover if you have not done so already, believes that the principal raison d'etre of food is to conceal from public view the hideous pattern on the plate beneath.
Page 28.
This is I have to admit, one murky compartment of the female psyche which has yet to benefit from the oven-scourer of Reason.
Page 43.
Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946 in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England) is a contemporary English writer. He has been shortlisted three times for the
Man Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe...
(
Flaubert's ParrotFlaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
(1984),
England, EnglandEngland, England is a satirical science fiction novel by Julian Barnes which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel is set in the Britain of the not-too-distant future, and chronicles the creation of a giant England themed amusement park, called "England, England", which also operates as...
(1998), and
Arthur & GeorgeArthur & George is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the 'Great Wyrley Outrages.'-Plot introduction:...
(2005)). He has written
crime fictionCrime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
under the
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
Dan Kavanagh.
Personal life
Following an education at the
City of London SchoolThe City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and of the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
and
Magdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million....
, he worked as a lexicographer for the
Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language...
. Subsequently, he worked as a literary editor and film critic. He now writes full-time. His brother,
Jonathan BarnesJonathan Barnes is a British philosopher, translator and historian of ancient philosophy. He taught for 25 years at Oxford University before moving to the University of Geneva. He taught at the University of Paris- Sorbonne in France, and took his éméritat in 2006...
, is a philosopher specializing in
Ancient PhilosophyThis page lists some links to ancient philosophy. In Western philosophy, the spread of Christianity through the Roman Empire marked the end of Hellenistic philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of Medieval philosophy, whereas in Eastern philosophy, the spread of Islam through the Arab Empire...
.
He lived in London with his wife, the literary agent
Pat KavanaghPatricia Olive Kavanagh was a British literary agent.Kavanagh was born in 1940 in Durban, South Africa, where her father was a journalist. Her half-sister, Julie Kavanagh, is a ballet critic. Her half-brother, Michael O'Brien is a geologist for AngloGold Ashanti in Johannesburg...
, until her death on 20 October 2008.
Career
His first novel,
MetrolandMetroland is an English novel written by Julian Barnes and published in 1980. It is a first person account of Christopher Lloyd and his experiences growing up in the suburbs of London , his brief life in Paris as a graduate student and the early years of his subsequent marriage...
, is a short, semi-autobiographical story of Christopher, a young man from the London suburbs who travels to Paris as a student, finally returning to London. It deals with themes of idealism, sexual fidelity and has the three-part structure that is a common theme in Barnes' work. In 1983, his second novel
Before She Met Me features a darker narrative, a story of revenge by a jealous historian who becomes obsessed by his second wife's past. Barnes's breakthrough novel
Flaubert's ParrotFlaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
broke with the traditional linear structure of his previous novels and consists of a fragmentary biographical narrative of an elderly doctor, Geoffrey Braithwaite, who focuses obsessively on the life of
Gustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style...
. The novel was published to great acclaim, especially in France.
Staring at the Sun followed in 1986, another ambitious novel about a woman growing to maturity in post-war England who deals with issues of love, truth and mortality. In 1989 Barnes published
A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, which was also a non-linear novel, which uses a variety of writing styles to call into question the perceived notions of human
historyHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
and knowledge itself.
In 1991, he published
Talking it OverTalking It Over is a novel by Julian Barnes published in 1991.It concerns a love triangle in which each of the three people concerned take it in turns to tell the story from their perspective using first person narrative...
, a contemporary love triangle, in which the three characters take turns to talk to the reader, reflecting over common events. This was followed ten years later by a sequel,
Love, etcLove, etc is a novel by Julian Barnes published in 2000, although it is also the title of a French film based on his earlier novel Talking it Over.-Plot introduction:...
, which revisited the characters ten years later.
Barnes is a keen
FrancophileA Francophile is a person who has a strong interest in, or admiration for French culture. This could include France itself and its history, the French language, French cuisine, literature, etc...
, and his 1996 book,
Cross Channel, is a collection of 10 stories charting Britain's relationship with France. He also returned to the topic of France in
Something to Declare, a collection of essays on French subjects.
Other works include
England, EnglandEngland, England is a satirical science fiction novel by Julian Barnes which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel is set in the Britain of the not-too-distant future, and chronicles the creation of a giant England themed amusement park, called "England, England", which also operates as...
, a satire on Britishness and the culture of tourism; and
Arthur and George, a detailed story based on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and his involvement in the
Great WyrleyGreat Wyrley is a parish and village in South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It includes Landywood, Churchbridge, and Wyrley Bank, but to confuse matters the settlement of Little Wyrley lies within the parish of Norton Canes, a nearby village...
Outrages. His 1992 book,
The Porcupine, deals with the trial of a fictional former Communist dictator, based on Bulgarian leader
Todor ZhivkovTodor Hristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989.- Early life :...
.
Barnes' most recent book, a non-fiction exploration of the meaning of death called
Nothing to be Frightened of, was published by
Jonathan CapeJonathan Cape was a British publisher founded in 1919 as Jonathan Page and Company; the name was changed in 1921, and it took over the back list of A. C. Fifield. From that point on it was a major force in British publishing, notably of books by T. E...
in March 2008 and was shortlisted for the
Duff Cooper PrizeThe Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Cabinet member and acclaimed author. The prize was first awarded...
.
Works (novels unless otherwise indicated)
- Metroland (1980)
- Before She Met Me (1982)
- Flaubert's Parrot
Flaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
(1984)
- Staring at the Sun
- Plot summary :Julian 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....
(1986)
- A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
A History of the World in 10½ Chapters is a novel by Julian Barnes published in 1989. It is a collection of short stories in different styles; however, at some points they echo each other and have subtle connection points. Most are fictional but some are historical.One of the many recurrent motifs...
(1989)
- Talking it Over
Talking It Over is a novel by Julian Barnes published in 1991.It concerns a love triangle in which each of the three people concerned take it in turns to tell the story from their perspective using first person narrative...
(1991)
- The Porcupine (1992)
- Letters from London (Picador
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
, London, 1995) — journalism from The New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry published by Condé Nast Publications...
, ISBN 0-330-34116-2
- Cross Channel (1996) — stories
- England, England
England, England is a satirical science fiction novel by Julian Barnes which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel is set in the Britain of the not-too-distant future, and chronicles the creation of a giant England themed amusement park, called "England, England", which also operates as...
(1998)
- Love, etc
Love, etc is a novel by Julian Barnes published in 2000, although it is also the title of a French film based on his earlier novel Talking it Over.-Plot introduction:...
(2000)
- Something to Declare (2002) — essays
- In the Land of Pain (2002) — translation of the memoir by Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.-Early life:...
- The Pedant in the Kitchen (2003) — journalism on cooking
- The Lemon Table (2004) — stories
- Arthur & George
Arthur & George is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the 'Great Wyrley Outrages.'-Plot introduction:...
(2005)
- Nothing to Be Frightened Of (2008) — memoir, made the New York Times Book Review list of "10 Best Books of 2008" as chosen by the paper's editors.
- "East Wind" (2008) — short story (appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry published by Condé Nast Publications...
and The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
: online text)
Works as Dan Kavanagh
- Duffy (1980)
- Fiddle City (1981)
- Putting the Boot In (1985)
- Going to the Dogs (1987)
Awards and Recognitions
- Somerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to who they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
, 1981, for Metroland
- Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
The Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize is a British literary prize established in 1963 in tribute to Geoffrey Faber, founder and first Chairman publisher Faber & Faber...
, 1985, for Flaubert's ParrotFlaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
- E. M. Forster Award
The E. M. Forster Award is a $20,000 award given annually to an Irish or British writer to fund a period of travel in the United States. The award, named after the English novelist E. M. Forster, is administered by the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
, 1986
- Prix Médicis
The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by Gala Barbisan and Jean-Pierre Giraudoux. It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match their talent." In 1970 the Prix Médicis étranger, a foreign prize, was added to award a writer...
, 1986, for Flaubert's Parrot
- Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre National du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
, 1988
- Shakespeare Prize
The Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. First given by Alfred Toepfer in 1937 as an expression of his Anglophilia in the face of tense international conditions, the prize was awarded only twice...
, 1993
- Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1995
- Austrian State Prize for European Literature
The Austrian State Prize for European Literature , also known as the European Literary Award , is a literary prize in Austria awarded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Art to European writers...
, 2004
- Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 2004
Nominations
- Booker Prize for Fiction, 1984, for Flaubert's Parrot
Flaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year...
- Booker Prize for Fiction, 1998, for England, England
England, England is a satirical science fiction novel by Julian Barnes which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel is set in the Britain of the not-too-distant future, and chronicles the creation of a giant England themed amusement park, called "England, England", which also operates as...
- Man Booker Prize for Fiction, 2005, for Arthur and George
- Commonwealth Writers Prize, 2006, for Arthur and George
- International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest prize worldwide for a single work of fiction published in English. Nominations are submitted by public libraries worldwide...
, 2007, for Arthur and George
- Duff Cooper Prize
The Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Cabinet member and acclaimed author. The prize was first awarded...
, nomination pending February 19, 2009 award announcement
About Barnes
- Conversations with Julian Barnes, Eds. Vanessa Guignery and Ryan Roberts, University Press of Mississippi (2009)
- Vanessa Guignery, The Fiction of Julian Barnes: A Reader's Guide to Essential Criticism, Palgrave Macmillan (2006)
- Matthew Pateman, Julian Barnes: Writers and Their Work, Northcote House, (2002)
- Bruce Sesto, Language, History, and Metanarrative in the Fiction of Julian Barnes, Peter Lang (2001)
- Merritt Moseley, Understanding Julian Barnes, University of South Carolina Press (1997)
See also
- Edward Pygge
Edward Pygge was a pseudonym used by Ian Hamilton, John Fuller, Clive James, Russell Davies and Julian Barnes.Hamilton invented the name, and he and James used it...
, a pseudonym used by Barnes
- Eastwick
Eastwick was a fictional suburb on the outer reaches of the London Underground’s Metropolitan line in Julian Barnes’ novel Metroland. This book, written in 1980, recalled adolescence in the early 1960s.-Features of Eastwick:...
, fictional location in Metroland
External links
- Official Website of Julian Barnes
- Official Website of Dan Kavanagh (pseudonym)
- British Council site
- Publisher's Website - includes facts about Barnes and Arthur & George
- Guardian Books "Author Page" - with profile and links to further articles.
- Julian Barnes - How I Write, Untitled Books, July 2008
- Interview on BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
HARDtalkHardtalk is a flagship BBC television programme, consisting of in-depth half-hour one-on-one interviews....
Extra programme - broadcast on 22 September, 2006
- Audio interview from Writing Lab on open2.net
Open2.net is a website run jointly by the Open University and the BBC, which they describe as an "online learning portal". The site contains a listings guide for TV and radio programmes that air across the BBC broadcast network, articles by OU academics, interactive learning modules, and forums...
- Julian Barnes Collection at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...