Nothing to be frightened of

A brilliant, discursive, very funny book about death and the fear of death, god, nature, nurture and the author's childhood. The closest thing to a memoir Barnes will ever write.

'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 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.

JULIAN BARNES is the author of eight novels, including METROLAND, FLAUBERT'S PARROT, A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 10 1/2 CHAPTERS, ENGLAND, ENGLAND and LOVE ETC., and a collection of short stories, CROSS CHANNEL.

Nothing to be frightened of
Random House Australia
Author: Julian Barnes
ISBN: 9780224085236
RRP: $55.00