Julian Barnes turns 80 today and is publishing his final book to mark the occasion,titled “Farewells.” Why final? Barnes – one of the most crucial British writers of his generation – has cancer. This does not mean he is instantly facing the end. His doctors have classified the disease as “incurable, but manageable.” He has been living with it for years.
And yet he is still making plans, intending to open the Lit.Cologne literary festival in Cologne on march 7th alongside former Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck. He has been a regular guest there for many years. Simultaneously occurring, it is indeed undeniable: the end is in sight.
Has any writer ever said goodbye to his readers like this?
For Barnes’ numerous fans, especially in Germany, fans of classics such as “Flaubert’s Parrot” and “A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters,” this is initially sad news. His German translator, Gertrude Krueger, was also sad, as she described in an interview with North German Broadcasting.
After much consideration, however, she then…
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