Nothing To Be Frightened Of - Softcover

Barnes, Julian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099535874 ISBN 13: 9780099535874

Publisher: Vintage, 2009

Synopsis

Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011

'I don't believe in God, but I miss Him.' Julian Barnes' new book is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his brother (a philosopher), a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and a homage to the French writer Jules Renard. Though he warns us that 'this is not my autobiography', the result is a tour of the mind of one of our most brilliant writers.

When Angela Carter reviewed Barnes' first novel, Metroland, she praised the mature way he wrote about death. Now, nearly thirty years later, he returns to the subject in a wise , funny and constantly surprising book, which defies category and classification - except as Barnesian.

About this title

Review:

"Death has a habit of bringing the best out in writers...Given its subject matter the whole book has an unexpectedly jaunty air. On virtually every page there is a good joke, even when - or perhaps especially when - Barnes is writing about the grimmest events. Julian Barnes is wonderful at keeping awe and flippancy in perfect balance...One of the joys of this book is that it contains so many playful asides, so many exhilaration diversions from its gloomy central theme."
--Craig Brown, "Mail on Sunday
""It is not, Barnes tells us, an autobiography. It is rather an essay in the best sense: speculative and precise, intimate and metaphysical, capacious and democratic in the variety of voices, alive and dead, that are invited to counsel the author as he edges his way towards the void"
--Brian Dillon, "Times Literary Supplement
""Julian Barnes is a delightful companion and much of the book (its informal tone included) is like an extended and very interesting conversation."
--Cressida Connolly, "Literary Review
""Compelling...witty and erudite...consistently interesting and entertaining."
--Val Hennessy, "Daily Mail
""This book is both fun and funny. It is sharp, too, in the sense of painful as well as witty...You are in the presence of a nimble mind in complete mastery of, and engagement with, his chosen subject."
--Lucy Beresford, "New Statesman
""Intensely fascinating."
--Jane Shilling," The Times
""Entertaining, intriguing, absorbing and so expansive that I was startled, on finishing, to note its brevity...Irresistible reading."
--Penelope Lively, "Financial Times
""Superb...[Barnes's] funniest and frankest work yet."
--KateSummerscale, "Daily Telegraph"

"From the Hardcover edition."

"Beautiful and funny. . . . An elegant memoir and meditation, a deep seismic tremor of a book that keeps rumbling and grumbling in the mind for weeks thereafter." -"The New York Times Book Review
""Brilliantly written and also funny . . . cunningly composed . . . held together in a rather Proustian fashion . . . Barnes has an extremely lively mind, and a distinctive voice, which gives a certain welcome jauntiness or gaiety to his darker musings." -Frank Kermode, "The New York Review of Books
""A delicious mix of personal reminiscence, family history, literary criticism, and philosophical speculation."""-"The Philadelphia Inquirer
""Barbarously intelligent [and] a rare thing in literature . . . marvelously engaging, even uplifting . . . Briskly, rigorously, this unusual book gives us something to think about until that nothingness comes knocking." -NPR
"Beautifully done . . . an extended meditation on human mortality, but one that is neither clinical nor falsely consoling. Instead, the witty and melancholic author simply converses with us about our most universal fear." -"The Washington Post"
"Surprisingly jocular-although also dead earnest . . . highly literary, thoughtful but playful." -"San Francisco Chronicle
"
"Very entertaining and, best of all, wholesomely provocative." -"O, The Oprah Magazine"
"Barnes is a writer of impulsive insights, many of them remarkable . . . of humane irony, antic imagination, and unsettling perceptiveness. He constructs a many-leveled scaffolding of argument, memoir, literary reference, and musings all around the dark pit." -"The Boston Globe"
"For those who think that facing death is life's most pressing test, Barnes is an amiable and articulate companion [who] sees humor in the impossibility of finding lasting comfort . . . His contemplation of death invariably becomes a treatise on living." -"The Tennessean"
"[Nothing to Be Frightened Of] call[s] to mind Woody Allen . . . Touching-and very funny." -"Providence Phoenix"
"Just try to put this memoir down . . . A dazzling blend of wry humor, keen philosophy and perceptive observations as Barnes ruminates about the inevitability of death and what it all means." -"Rocky Mountain News
"
"Strange and marvelous . . . Despite [its] mordant wit, erudition, and typically British understatement, the fear and trembling at its heart are always palpable . . . It is "so" good-an item of high literary quality and, paradoxically, great good humor." -"Barnes & Noble Review"
"Barnes is a great conversationalist, and this is a humorous book in spite of its serious subject." -"St. Petersburg Times"
"Erudite and entertaining." -"Playboy"
"A brilliant bible of elegant despair . . . that most urgent kind of self-help manual: the one you must read before you die." -"Men's Vogue"
"Unexpectedly jaunty . . . On virtually every page there is a good joke, even when-or perhaps especially when-Barnes is writing about the grimmest events. Julian Barnes is wonderful at keeping awe and flippancy in perfect balance . . . One of the joys of this book is that it contains so many playful asides, so many exhilaration diversions from its gloomy central theme.' -"Mail on Sunday "(London)
"Speculative and precise, intimate and metaphysical, capacious and democratic in the variety of voices, alive and dead, that are invited to counsel the author as he edges his way towards the void." -"Times Literary Supplement "(London)
"Julian Barnes is a delightful companion and much of the book (its informal tone included) is like an extended and very interesting conversation." -"Literary Review"(London)
"Compelling . . . witty and erudite . . . consistently interesting and entertaining." -Val Hennessy, "Daily Mail "(London)
"Both fun and funny. It is sharp, too, in the sense of painful as well as witty . . . You are in the presence of a nimble mind in complete mastery of, and engagement with, his chosen subject." -"New Statesman "(London)"
"
"Intensely fascinating." -"The Times "(London)"
"
"Entertaining, intriguing, absorbing and so expansive that I was startled, on finishing, to note its brevity . . . Irresistible reading." -"Financial Times "(London)"
""Superb . . . [Barnes's] funniest and frankest work yet." -"Daily Telegraph "(London)"
"

Beautiful and funny. . . . An elegant memoir and meditation, a deep seismic tremor of a book that keeps rumbling and grumbling in the mind for weeks thereafter. The New York Times Book Review
Brilliantly written and also funny . . . cunningly composed . . . held together in a rather Proustian fashion . . . Barnes has an extremely lively mind, and a distinctive voice, which gives a certain welcome jauntiness or gaiety to his darker musings. Frank Kermode, The New York Review of Books
A delicious mix of personal reminiscence, family history, literary criticism, and philosophical speculation. The Philadelphia Inquirer
Barbarously intelligent [and] a rare thing in literature . . . marvelously engaging, even uplifting . . . Briskly, rigorously, this unusual book gives us something to think about until that nothingness comes knocking." NPR
Beautifully done . . . an extended meditation on human mortality, but one that is neither clinical nor falsely consoling. Instead, the witty and melancholic author simply converses with us about our most universal fear. The Washington Post
Surprisingly jocular although also dead earnest . . . highly literary, thoughtful but playful. San Francisco Chronicle

Very entertaining and, best of all, wholesomely provocative. O, The Oprah Magazine
Barnes is a writer of impulsive insights, many of them remarkable . . . of humane irony, antic imagination, and unsettling perceptiveness. He constructs a many-leveled scaffolding of argument, memoir, literary reference, and musings all around the dark pit. The Boston Globe
For those who think that facing death is life's most pressing test, Barnes is an amiable and articulate companion [who] sees humor in the impossibility of finding lasting comfort . . . His contemplation of death invariably becomes a treatise on living. The Tennessean
[Nothing to Be Frightened Of] call[s] to mind Woody Allen . . . Touching and very funny. Providence Phoenix

Just try to put this memoir down . . . A dazzling blend of wry humor, keen philosophy and perceptive observations as Barnes ruminates about the inevitability of death and what it all means. Rocky Mountain News

Strange and marvelous . . . Despite [its] mordant wit, erudition, and typically British understatement, the fear and trembling at its heart are always palpable . . . It is so good an item of high literary quality and, paradoxically, great good humor. Barnes & Noble Review
Barnes is a great conversationalist, and this is a humorous book in spite of its serious subject. St. Petersburg Times
Erudite and entertaining. Playboy
A brilliant bible of elegant despair . . . that most urgent kind of self-help manual: the one you must read before you die. Men's Vogue
Unexpectedly jaunty . . . On virtually every page there is a good joke, even when or perhaps especially when Barnes is writing about the grimmest events. Julian Barnes is wonderful at keeping awe and flippancy in perfect balance . . . One of the joys of this book is that it contains so many playful asides, so many exhilaration diversions from its gloomy central theme. Mail on Sunday (London)
Speculative and precise, intimate and metaphysical, capacious and democratic in the variety of voices, alive and dead, that are invited to counsel the author as he edges his way towards the void. Times Literary Supplement (London)
Julian Barnes is a delightful companion and much of the book (its informal tone included) is like an extended and very interesting conversation. Literary Review(London)
Compelling . . . witty and erudite . . . consistently interesting and entertaining. Val Hennessy, Daily Mail (London)
Both fun and funny. It is sharp, too, in the sense of painful as well as witty . . . You are in the presence of a nimble mind in complete mastery of, and engagement with, his chosen subject. New Statesman (London)

Intensely fascinating. The Times (London)

Entertaining, intriguing, absorbing and so expansive that I was startled, on finishing, to note its brevity . . . Irresistible reading. Financial Times (London)
Superb . . . [Barnes s] funniest and frankest work yet. Daily Telegraph (London)
"

Review:

"This is the most enjoyable of all Barnes's books."

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0099535874
• ISBN 13: 9780099535874
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256