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Reviews & Scholarly Criticism

A selected listing of book reviews and criticism related to the works of Julian Barnes. For more reviews, please visit the individual book pages.

Levels of Life / Through the Window / The Sense of an Ending / Pulse / Nothing to be Frightened Of / Arthur & George / The Lemon Table / The Pedant in the Kitchen / Something to Declare / Love, etc. / England, England / Cross Channel / Letters from London / The Porcupine / Talking It Over / A History of the World in 10½ Chapters / Staring at the Sun / Flaubert's Parrot / Before She Met Me / Metroland

Levels of Life

05/27/2013 - The Negative of Love - Luke Brunning, The Oxonian Review

05/01/2013 - Julian Barnes and the work of grief - Joyce Carol Oates, The Times Literary Supplement

04/13/2013 - Book review: Levels of Life by Julian Barnes - David Sexton, The Scotsman

04/10/2013 - Levels of Life by Julian Barnes – review - Blake Morrison, The Guardian

04/03/2013 - Julian Barnes - Mark Lawson, Front Row BBC Radio 4 (Interview)

03/29/2013 - Levels of Life by Julian Barnes - Martin Fletcher, The Independent

Through the Window

11/23/2012 - The truth about fiction - Roger Lewis, Financial Times

11/20/2012 - With Love, From Julian Barnes - Liam Hoare, themillions.com

11/05/2012 - Through the Window: Review - Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, The Telegraph

11/02/2012 - Barnes: 'Novels tell truth about life' - Will Gompertz, BBC Arts (Interview)

10/23/2012 - Lessons from a literary master craftsman - Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian

The Sense of an Ending

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

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

10/11/2011 - The Sense of an Ending - A. J. Kirby, New York Journal of Books

08/05/2011 - The Sense of an Ending, By Julian Barnes - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent

07/25/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: review - Anita Brookner, Daily Telegraph

Pulse

05/05/2011 - Julian Barnes Finds The 'Pulse' Of Heartache - Heller McAlpin, NPR Books

01/09/2011 - Pulse, by Julian Barnes - Leyla Sanai, The Independent

01/08/2011 - Pulse by Julian Barnes - Rachel Cusk, The Guardian

01/07/2011 - Pulse - Michèle Roberts, Independent

01/06/2011 - What death has taught him - Kate Saunders, New Statesman

Nothing to be Frightened Of

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.]

10/03/2008 - Dying of the Light - Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review p.1

08/31/2008 - Memento mori Michael Dirda, Washington Post (Book World) p.BW10

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

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

Arthur & George

02/26/2006 - Julian Barnes - Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column (Interview)

01/15/2006 - Unlikely Friends - Gail Caldwell, Boston Globe p.K8

01/03/2006 - The Strange Case of Julian Barnes - Wendy Lesser, Slate.com

07/02/2005 - Ideal Holmes Exhibition - David Robinson, The Scotsman p.14

06/26/2005 - Show Me the Way to Go, Holmes - Tim Adams, Observer p.15

The Lemon Table

03/21/2004 - Every Second Counts When the End Is Nigh - Alan Taylor, The Sunday Herald

03/15/2004 - Do Not Go Gentle - Amanda Craig, New Statesman p.55

03/14/2004 - Things Can Only Get Bitter - Stephanie Merritt, The Observer

03/13/2004 - Age Has Not Withered Him - Frank Kermode, The Guardian p.26

03/13/2004 - Longing to be Noticed - Ann Wroe, Daily Telegraph (London) p.3

03/13/2004 - Tremors at Twilight - Allan Massie, The Scotsman p.9

03/13/2004 - Un homme serieux - Valerie Grove, The Times (London) p.10-11 (Interview)

03/12/2004 - New Fiction - John Harding, Daily Mail (London) p.56

03/07/2004 - Age before Beauty - Alex Clark, Sunday Times (London) p.53

03/07/2004 - How to Pass the Acid Test - Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph p.16

03/2004 - To the Bitter End - Rachel Hore, Literary Review (London)

The Pedant in the Kitchen

12/05/2003 - The Best Possible Taste - Jane Jakeman, TLS (5253) p.29

11/02/2003 - Too Much of a Good Thing - Matthew Fort, The Observer p.15

10/26/2003 - Flaubert's Carrots - Max Davidson, Sunday Telegraph (London) p.15

10/22/2003 - 86 Years Old and Still Cooking Up a Treat - Beachcomber, The Express p.44

10/21/2003 - Barnes's Tasty New Recipe - Nina Caplan, London Evening Standard

10/19/2003 - Simple Recipes Should Be Made to Measure - Alan Taylor, The Sunday Herald p.11

10/15/2003 - What Jamie Could Teach Julian - Judy Rumbold, The Guardian (London) p.5

10/12/2003 - From Flaubert to Flamb - Emily Bearn, Sunday Telegraph (London) p.3 (Interview)

Something to Declare

10/06/2002 - Tour de France - Claire Messud, New York Times Book Review p.25

03/09/2002 - Son of Flaubert - Don Gillmor, Globe & Mail (Toronto) p.D5

Winter/2001 - Mon semblable, mon frère - Jonathan Barnes, Areté Magazine (7) p.123-128

02/01/2002 - Monsieur Barnes Crosses the Channel - Gillian Tindall, TLS

01/16/2002 - You ask the questions: Julian Barnes - Independent [Q & A from readers]

01/06/2002 - New Gauls, Please - Jason Cowley, The Observer p.15
[Reprinted in the Manchester Guardian Weekly, 29 January 2002 p.17]

01/05/2002 - All aboard the Eurostar - Geoff Dyer, Guardian p.8

12/30/2001 - The French Master - Alain De Botton, The Sunday Times (London)

Love, etc.

03/2001 - What Lies Beneath - Adam Begley, Details (19.5) p.86,88 (Interview)

02/2001 - Interview with Julian Barnes - Random House

02/25/2001 - Still Talking It Over - Frances Stead Sellers, Book World (Washington Post) p.T10

02/25/2001 - Talking It Over Some More - Sven Birkerts, New York Times (sect. 7) p.8

02/21/2001 - 'Love, etc.' by Julian Barnes - Amy Benfer, Salon.com

02/09/2001 - An Old Love Triangle Reassembled in a New Decade - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times p.E-45

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

08/02/2000 - Talking it over about writing, etc - Dominic Bradbury, The Times (London)

07/30/2000 - Not the end of the affair - D. J. Taylor, Sunday Times (London)

07/29/2000 - Literature's Mister Cool - Nicholas Wroe, Guardian

07/27/2000 - 'I'd be very jumpy if I wasn't writing' - John Coldstream, Daily Telegraph (London)

07/23/2000 - The eternal triangle - Tim Adams, The Observer

07/23/2000 - A trio for married voices - Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph p.13

07/22/2000 - Hello! We've met before - Susannah Herbert, Daily Telegraph p.4

England, England

2001 - The Invention of Cultural Traditions: The Construction and Destruction of Englishness and Authenticity in Julian Barnes' England, England (PDF) - Vera Nünning, Anglia (119) p.58-76
[Available in .pdf format courtesy of the author and the publisher.]

05/23/1999 - England Imagined as a Theme Park in Julian Barnes' Witty Satire - David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle p.3

05/11/1999 - 'England, England': England as Theme Park - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times p.B7

05/09/1999 - Tomorrowland - Richard Eder, New York Times Book Review p.17

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

11/29/1998 - Albion, the Theme Park - Philip Marchand, The Toronto Star Online.

10/13/1998 - England the theme park - Andrew Marr, Electronic Mail & Guardian
[Also appeared in the Manchester Guardian Weekly as "Theme-park Authenticity" 13 September 1998; and the Observer as "England, England" 30 August 1998; Includes photo of Julian Barnes.]

10/1998 - We Can't Do Business - Lucy Kellaway, Prospect

09/08/1998 - Inventing England - Penelope Dening, Irish Times p.12
[Includes interview with Barnes.]

08/29/1998 - Buying up Buck House - Anthony Thwaite, Electronic Telegraph

08/29/1998 - A Vision of England - John Lanchester, Daily Telegraph p.5
[Includes interview with Barnes.]

08/29/1998 - England, England - Valentine Cunningham, Independent

08/24/1998 - England, England - Peter Bradshaw, London Evening Standard

08/23/1998 - Land of Make-Believe - John Carey, Sunday Times (London)

Cross Channel

05/30/2011 - Experiment(ing) on the Double with Julian Barnes (PDF) - Miquel Pomar, Amaltea (3)
[Essay on the short story "Experiment"; Available online in PDF]

Autumn 1996 - A Barnes Eye View of France - Adrian Kempton, Franco-British Studies (22) p.92-101

05/19/1996 - Julian Barnes - Marie Arana-Ward, Washington Post Book World p.10

04/16/1996 - Fictional Fiction Writer Demonstrates His Magic - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times p.C15

01/19/1996 - Très British - Gerald Mangan, Times Literary Supplement (4842) p.24

01/04/1996 - If the French Were Shorter in Flaubert's Day, Did They Need to Be Less Fat in Order to Be Called 'Fat'? - P. N. Furbank, London Review of Books (18) p.22

Letters from London

04/21/1995 - I-Spy Things Unravelling - Patrick Cockburn, Times Literary Supplement p.32

04/16/1995 - City of Schoolboys - Geoff Dyer, Manchester Guardian Weekly p.28

04/09/1995 - Little England, Big Apple - David Buckley, Observer p.18

04/09/1995 - London Calling - Jeremy Paxman, Sunday Times (London) p.1-2

04/08/1995 - Marmite for New Yorkers - Mark Lawson, Independent (London) p.26

The Porcupine

Fall 1997 - Michael R. Whealen, The College Quarterly

03/22/1995 - Sharp as a quill - Dave Riley, Green Left Weekly

12/17/1992 - Time of Indifference - John Bayley, New York Review of Books p.30-32

11/13/1992 - The Big Match - Julian Duplain, New Statesman & Society p.34-35

11/07/1992 - Not Deep, but Crisp and Even - Francis King, Spectator p.55-56

11/1992 - Courtroom Drama - James Atlas, Vogue p.188, 190

11/1992 - Full of Prickles - Robert Harris, Literary Review p.26

10/30/1992 - Show Trial, New Style - Peter Kemp, Times Literary Supplement p.19

Talking It Over

12/16/1991 - Flaubert's Parrot: Talking It Over by Julian Barnes - Michael Levenson, New Republic p.42-45

12/05/1991 - Getting to Know You - John Bayley, New York Review of Books p.25-26

10/13/1991 - Was It Something They Said? - Alexander Theroux, Washington Post Book World (21) p.5

07/25/1991 - Oliver's Riffs - Charles Nicholl, London Review of Books (13) p.19

07/19/1991 - Fearful Symmetry - D. J. Taylor, New Statesman & Society p.35

07/12/1991 - Giving the Authorized Version - Mick Imlah, Times Literary Supplement p.19

A History of the World in 10½ Chapters

2003 - The End of Society in Historiographic Metafiction: A Case Study - Daniel Candel Bormann, Actas del XXIII Congreso de AEDEAN (16-18 december 1999, León)

2001 - Julian Barnes's A History of Science in 10½ Chapters - Daniel Candel Bormann, English Studies: A Journal of English Language and Literature (82.3) p.253-61

Spring 2000 - Julian Barnes's Theses on History (in 10½ Chapters) - Jackie Buxton, Contemporary Literature (41.1) p.56-86 (ISSN: 0010-7484)

1999 - Nature Feminised in Julian Barnes's A History of the World in 10½ Chapters. - Daniel Candel Bormann, Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos XXI.1/2 (Junio-Diciembre 1999) p.43-58

1998 - From Romanticism to Postmodernity: Two Different Conceptions of Nature in Julian Barnes' A History of the World in 10½ Chapters - Daniel Candel Bormann, Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses (36) p.173-83

1997 - Random Patterns? Orderly Disorder in Julian Barnes's A History of the World in 10 and ½ Chapters - Claudia Kotte, AAA -- Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik (22) p.107-128

1994 - An Ark on Which Two Might Escape": Modernist and Postmodernist Discourse Julian Barnes's A History of the World in 10½ Chapters - Nadia Maria Halim, Queen's University At Kingston (Canada) pp.78 (Dissertation. Adviser: Patricia Rae)

06/1991 - One Good Story Leads to Another: Julian Barnes's A History of the World in 10½ Chapters - Gregory Salyer, Journal of Literature & Theology (5.2) p.220-233

1991 - 'Unconfessed Confessions': the Narrators of Graham Swift and Julian Barnes - David Leon Higdon, In The British & Irish Novel since 1960. Ed. James Acheson. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991. p.174-191

10/01/1989 - But Noah Was Not a Nice Man - Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review (94) p.12-13

06/24/1989 - Blinded by the Might - James Woods, Times (London) p.36-37

06/24/1989 - A Newfangled and Funny Romp - D. J. Taylor, Spectator p.40-41

06/22/1989 - Stowaway Woodworm - Frank Kermode, London Review of Books (11) p.20

Staring at the Sun

Fall 1987 - Julian Barnes - Patrick McGrath, Bomb 21 p.20-23

05/07/1987 - The Home Front - David Lodge, New York Review of Books p.21

04/12/1987 - The Enchanting Blue Yonder - Carlos Fuentes, New York Times Book Review (92) p.3,43

11/06/1986 - Real Questions - Ian Hamilton, London Review of Books (8.19) p.7

09/28/1986 - The Genre-Bender Gets it Wrong - Mark Lawson, Sunday Times (London) p.53

Flaubert's Parrot

1993 - Not Altogether a Tomb -- Julian Barnes: Flaubert's Parrot - William Bell, Imitating Art: Essays in Biography Ed. David Ellis. London: Pluto Press, 1993. p.149-173

07/22/1985 - A Pair of Parrots - John Updike, New Yorker (61.22) p.86-90

04/25/1985 - Obsessed With Obsession - Frank Kermode, New York Review of Books (32) p.15-16

04/05/1985 - A Flaubertian Flight of Fantasy - Frances Taliaferro, Wall Street Journal p.15

03/10/1985 - Obsessed With the Hermit of Croisset - Peter Brooks, New York Times Book Review (90) p.7,9

11/03/1984 - Pretty Polly - Mary Hope, Spectator (253) p.26-27

10/17/1984 - In Fine Feather - Melvyn Bragg, Punch (287) p.22-23

Before She Met Me

12/28/1986 - She Oughtn't to Have Been in Pictures - Gary Krist, New York Times Book Review (91) p.12

06/1982 - Unhappy Families - David Montrose, Books and Bookmen p.14

04/28/1982 - Great White Hopes - Stanley Reynolds, Punch p.708-709

04/23/1982 - Watching Green-Eyed - Mark Abley, Times Literary Supplement p.456

04/17/1982 - Green-Eyed - Harriet Waugh, Spectator (248) p.22

04/16/1982 - Flashback - Bill Greenwell, New Statesman (103.2665) p.18-19

Metroland

05/03/1987 - Two Clever Lads From London - Jay Parini, New York Times Book Review (92) p.26

05/16/1980 - Metroland - Philip Sturgess, Literary Review p.10

05/02/1980 - Growing Up - Edward Blishen, Times Educational Supplement p.22

04/06/1980 - Metroland: Thanks for the Memories - Bernard Levin, Sunday Times (London) p.42

03/28/1980 - Settling for Suburbia - Paul Bailey, Times Literary Supplement p.345

03/27/1980 - Smirking - John Naughton, Listener p.419

03/27/1980 - Untitled - Michael Church, Times (London) p.11