Nothing To Be Frightened Of (French Edition)

In February 2009, Mecure de France published the French translation of Julian Barnes's Nothing to be Frightened of (translated by Jean-Pierre Aoustin). To order, please visit the Mercure de France website or Amazon.fr.

Barnes scholar Vanessa Guignery (co-editor with Ryan Roberts of Conversations with Julian Barnes and author of The Fiction of Julian Barnes: A Reader's Guide to Essential Criticism) has generously provided the following list of reviews and notices:

Chaudey, Marie. "Rien à craindre, de Julian Barnes." La vie 3311 (12-18 février 2009) : 76.

Clavel, André. "Barnes, flâneur d'outre-tombe." L'Express 3006 (12-18 février 2009) : 96.

Ozouf, Mona. "Julian Barnes sous la torture." Le Nouvel Observateur 2228 (12-18 février 2009) : 80.

Simon, Geneviève. "Julian Barnes en homme qui craint la mort." La Libre Belgique 13 février 2009.

Solé, Robert. "Julian Barnes à cache-cache avec la mort." Le Monde des livres 13 février 2009 : 1.

Lire 1974 (février 2009) : 72-75. (extract from the beginning of the
book)

Delorme, Marie-Laure. "La mort en chantant." Le Journal du Dimanche 22 fév. 2009 : 31.

Nothing To Be Frightened Of (Vintage Paperback)

'I don't believe in God, but I miss him.' Julian Barnes' Nothing To Be Frightened Of 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 like a tour of the mind of one of our most brilliant writers.

When Angela Carter reviewed Barnes's 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.

Vintage paperback edition is now available from the Vintage website or Amazon.co.uk. The American edition is available from Knopf and the Canadian from Random House Canada. Order your copy online via Amazon.com, Knopf, Amazon.co.uk, Random House, Amazon.ca, or one of a number of local independent booksellers.

Read the first chapter online at the New York Times website.

Amours de Voyage (Preface by Julian Barnes)

Julian Barnes has provided a new preface to Arthur Hugh Clough's Amours de Voyage, published by Persephone Books Ltd.

From the Publisher: Persephone prints mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction. The books are guaranteed to be readable, thought-provoking and impossible to forget. Titles include novels, short stories, diaries and cookery books. They are all carefully designed with a clear typeface, a dove-grey jacket, a 'fabric' endpaper and bookmark, and a preface by writers such as Jilly Cooper, Adam Gopnik, and Jacqueline Wilson.

'The answer to a present-giver's prayers.' Vogue

'There are cute books, there are beautiful books and then there are Persephone books.' The Irish Times

'What unites all the books is their timelessness. The writing is fresh, psychologically accurate, frequently moving and funny.' Daily Telegraph

'Oh, the bliss of Persephone Books!' India Knight, The Shops

Amours de Voyage, with a new preface written by Julian Barnes will be published at the end of April 2009. Order the book directly from Persephone Books or online via Amazon.co.uk.