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Barnes Bags Mann Booker Prize 2011
21 October 2011
After being shortlisted on three occasions in the past Julian Barnes has, at last won the Mann Booker Prize 2011 with his novel "The Sense of an Ending". The book is only 150 pages long.
The story is based on the memories and recollections of one Tony Webster and the friends and acquaintances of his youth in the sixties. It illustrates how, in later life, we can rework memories; we can make them what we want them to be. There is nothing remarkable about the man or his life, but Barnes imparts enthusiasm with subtle tension. It is an intense, highly skilled and completely unexpected piece of work.
The 2011 Mann Booker Prize had caused some considerable debate and controversy with accusations of pandering to "readability" at the expense of quality literature, but no one can deny that this year's winner is quality whilst still being immensely readable. Barnes himself describes his book as "a beautiful book........something worth buying, worth keeping"
As well as The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes was shortlisted for England England in 1998, Flaubert's Parrot in 1984 and Arthur and George in 2005.
| England England | Flaubert's Parrot | Arthur and George |
Mann Booker 2011 shortlist
