Julian Barnes's Nothing to be Frightened of is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his brother (a philosopher), a meditation on morality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and 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.

Available from BBC Audiobooks at http://www.audible.co.uk/, which also has a short excerpt available online. Julian Barnes reads his book in its entirety, complete & unabridged.

Be sure to visit BBC Audiozone for additional audiobooks of Julian Barnes's works.

Julian Barnes on Frank O'Connor

The most generous one-volume collection ever published of short stories, autobiographical writings, poetry, and essays by the writer Yeats called "Ireland's Chekhov."

Selected and arranged thematically by Julian Barnes, the rich mix of writings in The Best of Frank O'Connor starts off with his most famous short story, "Guests of the Nation," set during the Irish War of Independence; chronicles his childhood with an alcoholic father and protective mother; and traces his literary influences in brilliant essays on Joyce and Yeats. O'Connor's wonderfully polyphonic tales of family, friendship, and rivalry are set beside those that bring to life forgotten souls on the fringes of society. O'Connor's writings about Ireland vividly evoke the land he called home, while other stories probe the hardships and rewards of Irish emigration. Finally, we see O'Connor grappling, in both fiction and memoir, with the largest questions of religion and belief.

The Best of Frank O'Connor is a literary monument to a truly great writer.

Read Barnes's introduction in The Spectator.