Julian Barnes in general

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters - Julian Barnes

Ok, this is a long review but I feel this book warrants it! If you stick with me, you ll soon know why! Julian Barnes is an English born writer whose works have often been cited as post modernist. He was born January 19th 1946 in Leicester and is seen in literary circles as one of the most progressive and respected authors of modern day literature. Barnes also writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh. His best known works include A History of the World in 10½ Chapters , Flauberts Parrot , England England and Arthur and George . "Why does the writing make us chase the writer? Why can t we leave well alone? Why aren t the books enough?" (Julian ...

Arthur and George - Julian Barnes

George Edalji (that’s Ay-dal-ji, by the way, since Parsee names are always stressed on the first syllable) is the son of a Staffordshire vicar of Indian origin and his Scottish wife. George is thus a half-caste, to use the language of his late-Victorian and Edwardian age. He’s a diligent, if not too distinguished a scholar. He is uninterested in sport, is of small stature and doesn’t see too well. He sleeps with his father behind a locked door, is in bed by 9:30, becomes a small town solicitor who develops an interest in train timetables and, by way of outlandish diversion, publishes a traveller’s guide to railway law. Arthur Conan Doyle (later Sir Arthur) is born in Edinburgh, ...

Arthur and George - Julian Barnes

romance or crime. So what happens when it is difficult to pigeon hole a book into a specific genre? This was the case when I bought Arthur and George by Julian Barnes. The Booker Prize nominated Arthur and George is a funny beast. It is a faction (fiction based on a true story) twin biography with elements of a detective novel and just a little bit of romance thrown in for good measures. The book is set mostly in 19th and 20th century Britain. It details the lives of two (at first glance) unconnected gentlemen. The first one Arthur, the son of a mentally unstable, alcoholic, Irish artist grows up in poverty in Edinburgh becoming a doctor. The other one George is a ...