Through the Window

It is hard not to like and respect Barnes, an author responsible for shaping part of contemporary British fiction. Like Graham Swift, another member of the gifted Granta “Class of ’83”, Barnes is as adept when it comes to turning his hand to non-fiction. Through the Window is a collection of eighteen pieces all about authors and writing, similar to many before (and presumably after). Barnes is seeking to understand better the why and how, the influences and circumstances that have helped authors to turn thoughts into words. As Barnes writes in the “Preface”, “Fiction, more than any other written form, explains and expands life.” I would be hard-pressed to disagree, even if biased. I read Through the Window from beginning to end, although it would be fair to say that I clearly engaged more with the pieces relating to authors with whom I was previously familiar than the inverse. The hit rate, however, was high. I particularly enjoyed Barnes's commentary on Orwell, Ford, Kipling, Houellebecq, Wharton and Hemingway.

By Julian Barnes