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Love, etc

Love, etc by Julian Barnes Love, etc by Julian Barnes Love, etc by Julian Barnes

In matters of love and friendship, how much can be endured? What might be forgiven? And who—given the inevitable, knotty complications—is desirable still?

From such questions, and using all the surprising, sophisticated ingredients of a delightful farce, Julian Barnes has created a tragicomedy of human frailties and needs. Love, etc. starts three characters introduced a decade ago in Talking It Over—to which this novel has an eerie, freestanding relation. Which is precisely how Stuart feels towards Gillian, his wife before his witty, feckless, former best friend Oliver stole her away. True, he did make a fuss at their subsequent wedding, and spied on them in their French village; but he was agreeable about the divorce, moved to America, remarried briefly, prospered, then returned to London shortly after Oliver and Gillian, avec les enfants, did. Meanwhile, Oliver's artistic ambition have turned to ashes in his mouth, so it's Gillian supporting the household—until Stuart rejoins them.

What transpires to further complicate the situation doesn't heart repeating, especially as the three principals (along with many others) are allowed to speak directly to the reader, to whisper their secrets and argue their own particular versions of what actually happened, and why. Indeed, emerging from this crux are a number of truths we all live by: faith and generosity, trust and commitment, towards ourselves and our loves ones; or, absent those, banality and even brutality.

Every bit as funny and intelligent as anything Julian Barnes has written, Love, etc. is also fabulously engaging, powerfully dramatic, and profoundly unsettling.

EDITIONS & TRANSLATIONS / INTERVIEWS / REVIEWS

EDITIONS & TRANSLATIONS

NOTE: When possible, editions are linked to entries in the online Julian Barnes Bibliography. These entries feature multiple images of the book and additional bibliographic details.
Love, etc by Julian Barnes Love, etc by Julian Barnes
English Editions

Love, etc. London: Jonathan Cape, 2000. [See also: Uncorrected Proof]

Love, etc. Canada: Random House Canada, 2000. [See also: Advanced Uncorrected Manuscript]

Love, etc. London: Quality Paperbacks Direct, 2000

Love, etc. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. [See also: Uncorrected Proof; Uncorrected Proof (Red Cover)]

Love, etc. Bath, England: Chivers Press; Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press, 2001. [Large print edition]

Love, etc. London: Picador, 2001.

Love, etc. New York: Vintage International, 2002.

Love, etc. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2002.

Love, etc. London: Vintage Books, 2009. [Rejacketed in 2013]

Love, etc. Bath, England: Chivers Press and Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, 2001. [Large Print]

Audio Editions

Love, etc.. AudioGo, 2001: Read by Steven Pacey, Alex Jennings & Clare Higgins. [Unabridged, 6 hours, 42 minutes]

Translated Editions

Catalan - Amor, etc. Barcelona: Anagrama - Empúries, 2001. Translated by Albert Torrescasana.

Croatian - Ljubav, itd. Zagreb: Celeber, 2002. Translated by Lada Dawidowsky.

Danish - Kærlighed osv. København: Tiderne Skifter, 2001. Translated by Claus Bech.

Dutch - Liefde, enz. Amsterdam/Antwerpen: Uitgeverij Atlas, 2001. Translated by Marijke Versluys. Other edition: Trioloog ; Liefde, enz. | Talking It Over ; Love, etc. Uitgeverij Atlas Contact, 2016. Trioloog translated by Bartho Kriek; Liefde, enz. translated by Marijke Versluys. [Dual edition].

French - Dix ans après. Collection Bibliothéque étrangère, Mercure de France, 2002. Translated by Jean-Pierre Aoustin. Other edition: Paris: Guillimard Folio, 2003.

German - Liebe usw. Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2002. Translated by Gertraude Krueger. Other edition: btb, 2003.

Hebrew - באהבה וכו’ | Be-ahavah ve-khu. Tel Aviv: Zmora-Bitan, 2001. Translated by Sarah Ripin.

Hungarian - Szerelem meg miegymás. Budapest: Ulpius-ház, 2001. Translated by Szentgyörgyi József.

Italian - Amore, dieci anni dopo. Torino: Einaudi, 2004. Translated by Susanna Basso. Other edition: Einaudi, 2014.

Korean - 사랑, 그리고. 경기도파주시 [Paju]: 열린책들 [Open Books], 2009. Translated by 신재실 [Chae-sil Sin].

Norwegian - Kjærlighet, etc. Oslo: Aschehoug, 2002. Translated by Knut Ofstad.

Portuguese - Amor & etc. Porto: Edições ASA, 2002. Translated by Helena Cardoso; Amore, etc. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Rocco, 2002. Translated by Léa Viveiros de Castro.

Romanian - Iubire etc. (Love, etc). Bucuresti: Nemira, 2006. Translated by Cornelia Bucur. Other edition: Nemira, 2014.

Russian - ЛЮБОВЬ И ТАК ДАЛЕЕ. Moscow: ACT, 2003. Other edition: Иностранка [Inostranka], 2019.

Serbian - Ljubav, itd. Beograd: Geopoetika, 2002. Translated by Ivana Duric-Paunovic.

Slovenian - Ljubezen etc. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2002. Translated by Valerija Cokan.

Spanish - Amor, etcétera (Love, etc). Barcelona: Editorial Anagrama, 2001. Translated by Jaime Zulaika.

Swedish - Kärlek etc. Stockholm: Forum, 2002. Translated by Mats Hörmark.

Turkish - Ask Vesaire. Istanbul: Ayrinti Yayinlari, 2002. Translated by Serdar Rifat Kirkoglu.

INTERVIEWS

03/11/2001 - Interview with Julian Barnes - Liane Hansen, NPR Weekend Edition Sunday
[Select "Archives" and search for the March 11, 2001 program.]

03/07/2001 - Interview with Julian Barnes - Leonard Lopate, New York & Company: WNYC

03/07/2001 - Julian Barnes and Jay McInerney - NYTimes Online
[Interview recorded at the New York Public Library in conjunction with the U.S. publication of Love, etc]

03/04/2001 - Dust Jacket Required - David Podgurski, Stamford Advocate

03/01/2001 - Barnes Burner: British author Julian Barnes reflects life as we live it. - Scott Timberg, The New Times LA
[Shorter version of Timberg's interview upon the U.S. publication of Love, etc]

03/2001 - What Lies Beneath - Adam Begley, Details (19.5) p.86,88

02/2001 - Interview with Julian Barnes - Random House

01/28/2001 - A Tip of the Hat to Kurosawa - Scott Timberg, Hartford Courant
[Interview upon the U.S. publication of Love, etc]

12/19/2000 - Julian Barnes, Etc. Robert Birnbaum, Identity Theory

Let's Talk about Love, etc: An interview with Julian Barnes - Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk

REVIEWS

Summer 2001 - Love, etc - Philip Landon, Review of Contemporary Fiction (21.2) p.167

04/25/2001 - 'Love, etc,' by Julian Barnes - Christopher Kelly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

04/08/2001 - Wry Look at 'Love' Is Brillian Theater, Fiction - Steven Rea, Arizona Republic p.J4

04/02/2001 - Literature's Cuckold - Dale Peck, The New Republic p.32

03/28/2001 - 'Love, etc,' by Julian Barnes - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

03/25/2001 - Letter to the Editor: 'Love Medicine, Etc.' - Jon Anderson, New York Times (sect. 7) p.4

03/18/2001 - Three views on love and life's miscellany - Steven E. Alford, The Houston Chronicle p.14

03/11/2001 - For the 'Love' of Intimacy and Good Manners - Susan Salter Reynolds, LA Times p.E1

03/04/2001 - Three characters back together, each with a view of calamity - C. A. Twardy, Atlanta Constitution p.4D

02/2001 - Yoghurt Despair: Julian Barnes' Love, Etc - Maggie Ball, The Compulsive Reader

02/25/2001 - HEY, READER, LISTEN UP ... A love-triangle novel that truly speaks to us - Howard Kissel, Daily News (New York) p.19

02/25/2001 - Still Talking It Over - Frances Stead Sellers, Book World (Washington Post) p.T10

02/25/2001 - Talking It Over Some More - Sven Birkerts, New York Times (sect. 7) p.8

02/21/2001 - 'Love, etc.' by Julian Barnes - Amy Benfer, Salon.com

02/18/2001 - For Barnes, Life Is a Sequel - Vicky Uhland, Rocky Mountain News p.2E
[Online version titled: "A British sequel -- sort of."]

02/11/2001 - What Makes the World Go Round - Jonathan Levi, Los Angeles Times p.7

02/11/2001 - Love triangle enters heart's many chambers - Phil Hanrahan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel p.06E

02/11/2001 - Resist Temptation To Scrap It; 'Love, Etc.' Worth Enduring An Offensive Character - Lloyd Cole, Hartford Courant

02/09/2001 - An Old Love Triangle Reassembled in a New Decade - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times p.E-45

02/08/2001 - A Valentine letter bomb - Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor p.19

12/16/2000 - What's love got to do with it? - Michael Redhill, The Southland Times (New Zealand) p.26

12/13/2000 - Julian Barnes: The Truthful Liar - BBC World Service
[Excerpts from Meridian Writing, includes a short audio excerpt.]

10/15/2000 - Julian Barnes' sequel short but excellent - Ben Sparks, The Ottawa Citizen p.C17

10/07/2000 - Let's talk about love, etc - Felix Cheong, The Straits Times (Singapore) p.29

09/24/2000 - Love is a Monologue - Philip Marchand, The Toronto Star

08/06/2000 - The Plot Thickens - Tom Lappin, Scotland on Sunday p.26

08/05/2000 - Time to catch up with the lovers - Graeme Woolaston, The Herald (Glasgow) p.15

08/05/2000 - Careless talk costs wives - Elaine Showalter, The Guardian (London) p.8

08/04/2000 - Words: News, n - Christopher Hawtree, The Independent (London) p.20
[Briefly discusses Oliver's observations on the word "news" in Love, etc.]

08/04/2000 - Call Me a Slut, But Julian Just Can't Satisfy Me - Terence Blacker, The Independent (London) p.4
[Briefly discusses Barnes's new novel in an essay on the nature of the relationship between author and reader.]

08/03/2000 - Words: Tea-Bag, n - Christopher Hawtree, The Independent (London) p.16
[Briefly discusses the use of the word "tea-bag" in Love, etc. Hawtree mistakenly claims that Stuart's ex-wife Terri refers to Americans as "tea-bags", when she is really talking about the British: "We don't get too many of you coming through, so we buy into the stereotype, which is that Brits are snobby and stick together and don't pick up the tab for drinks if they can possibly avoid it. Oh, and most of the men are tea-bags, if you'll pardon the expression" (p. 34).]

08/02/2000 - Words: Polder, n - Christopher Hawtree, The Independent (London) p.14
[Briefly mentions Barnes's previous promise in Hawtree's "Word" column to use the word "irk" in his next novel. Hawtree mentions that Love, etc does not contain the word.]

08/02/2000 - Talking it over about writing, etc - Dominic Bradbury, The Times (London)

08/01/2000 - I met a man who wasn't there - Thomas Sutcliffe, The Independent (London) p.7

07/30/2000 - Not the end of the affair - D. J. Taylor, Sunday Times (London)

07/29/2000 - Feature - John Coldstream, Daily Telegraph (London) p.5

07/29/2000 - Literature's Mister Cool - Nicholas Wroe, Guardian

07/28/2000 - Sobering, jolting, marrow-ahakingly magnificent - Valentine Cunningham, The Independent (London)

07/27/2000 - 'I'd be very jumpy if I wasn't writing' - John Coldstream, Daily Telegraph (London)

07/27/2000 - Love, etc - BBC Radio 4 Front Row

07/23/2000 - The eternal triangle - Tim Adams, The Observer

07/23/2000 - A trio for married voices - Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph p.13

07/22/2000 - Hello! We've met before - Susannah Herbert, Daily Telegraph p.4

French Translation
Special thanks to Vanessa Guignery and Mercure de France

05/23/2002 - Julian Barnes, côté France - Geneviève Simon, La Libre Belgique p.8

02/14/2002 - Dix ans de nostalgie, etc - Paris Match

02/06/2002 - Dix ans après, Barnes séduit toujours - Cécile Lecoultre, 24 Heures

02/06/2002 - Un vaudeville en apartés - Jacques de Decker, Le Soir p.38

02/2002 - Dix ans après - Serge Sanchez, Magazine littéraire (406) p.76

02/2002 - Envie de lire - Marie-Caroline Aubert, Marie Clair

02/2002 - Les Britanniques Julian Barnes et David Lodge tendent un miroir a la fois pittoresque et désabusé aux quadras hétéros de leur génération - Vogue

02/2002 - Que reste-t-il de leurs amours? - Isabelle Fiemeyer, Lire (www.lire.fr)

01/31/2002 - La France de Julian Barnes - Henry Hitchings, Courrier International

01/30/2002 - Dur, dur, d'être un quadra - Bruno Juffin, Les Inrockuptibles p.60

01/27/2002 - Inventaire avant liquidation - Olivier Mony, Sud-ouest Dimanche p.12

01/25/2002 - Retrouvailles conjugales - Florence Noiville, Le Monde des Livres

01/20/2002 - Littérature anglo-saxonne - Maxime Romain, La Marseillaise

01/17/2002 - Julian Barnes, le vaudeville au sommet - Yaël Eckert, La Croix p.20

01/13/2002 - A nos amours, dix ans après - Marie-Laure Delorme, Le Journal du Dimanche p.29

01/12/2002 - Julian Barnes - Bertrand de Saint Vincent, Figaro magazine p.68-69

01/12/2002 - Léger, malicieux, le nouveau Julian Barnes - André Clavel, Le Temps des livres

01/10/2002 - Le couple en métamorphose - Bruno Corty, Le Figaro littéraire p.3
[Interview on the same page: "Julian Barnes: 'L'amour sans jalousie, ça n'existe pas!'"]

01/10/2002 - Rendez-vous avec Barnes - André Clavel, L'Express p.49

01/09/2002 - Dix ans après: Julian Barnes - Mercure de France

01/08/2002 - Jules et Jim à Londres - Annie Coppermann, Les Echos p.54

01/07/2002 - Julian Barnes: «Etc.», la suite - Héléna Villovitch, Elle

01/05/2002 - Messieurs les Anglais - Éric Neuhoff, Madame Figaro p.28

01/03/2002 - Visite à Julian Barnes: Des oies, des crabes et un perroquet - Jérôme Garcin, Le Nouvel Observateur p.62-65

German Translation

03/22/2002 - Darüber reden - aber nicht über alles - Volker Behrens, Neuen Zürcher Zeitung

Julian Barnes: Liebe usw - Gert Scobel, Hessischer Rundfunk

Spanish Translation

09/01/2001 - El teatro de las voces - José María Guelbenzu, El Pais

Dutch Translation

05/23/2001 - De wraak van de schildpad - Elke Dhoker, Tijd Nieuwslijn

Additional Criticism

2012 - Humors, Neuroses, and Falling in Love in Julian Barnes's Talking It Over and Love, etc. - Kathleen A. Kelly, The International Journal of the Humanities (9.9) p.178-192

2008 - Talk-Show Intimacy and Narrative Technique in Julian Barnes's Talking It Over and Love, etc. - Kathleen A. Kelly, International Journal of the Humanities (5.10) p.179-188

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