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The Sense of an Ending
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2011
The story of a man coming to terms with the mutable past, Julian Barnes's new novel is laced with his trademark precision, dexterity and insight. It is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.
Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they navigated the girl drought of gawky adolescence together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they swore to stay friends forever. Until Adrian's life took a turn into tragedy, and all of them, especially Tony, moved on and did their best to forget.
Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a marriage, a calm divorce. He gets along nicely, he thinks, with his one child, a daughter, and even with his ex-wife. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove. The unexpected bequest conveyed by that letter leads Tony on a dogged search through a past suddenly turned murky. And how do you carry on, contentedly, when events conspire to upset all your vaunted truths?
"Its effect is disturbing - all the more so for being written with Barnes's habitual lucidity. His reputation will surely be enhanced by this book. Do not be misled by its brevity. Its mystery is as deeply embedded as the most archaic of memories." -Anita Brookner, Daily Telegraph
"a highly wrought meditation on ageing, memory and regret" -Justine Jordan, The Guardian
"it's a harsh tale rich in humane resonances" -Peter Kemp, The Sunday Times
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.English Editions
The Sense of an Ending. London: Jonathan Cape, 2011
The Sense of an Ending. London: LRB Bookshop, 2011 (Limited edition of 100)
[75 of which have been quarter-bound in Tusting Chestnut fine grain leather with Rainforest cloth sides, numbered 1 to 75, and 25 copies fully bound in the same leather, numbered i to xxv.]
The Sense of an Ending. Random House Canada, 2011
The Sense of an Ending. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011
Designing the Cover Art for The Sense of an Ending
Suzanne Dean, Creative Director at Vintage Publishing, discusses her process for designing the cover of Julian Barnes's The Sense of an Ending. The video shows numerous examples from her earliest design thoughts through the final cover. Suzanne Dean also designed the jacket for Julian Barnes's recent collection of short stories Pulse.
Audio Editions
The Sense of an Ending. Audible Studios, 2011: Read by Richard Morant - UK & US
[Unabridged, 4 hours, 40 minutes]
Translated Editions
Bulgarian - (The Sense of an Ending). Sofia: Obsidian Press. Pp. 170 [1]. ISBN: 9789547692848
Catalan - El sentit d'un final. Barcelona: Angle Editorial, 2012. Pp. 160. Translated by Àlex Gombau Arnau. ISBN: 978-84-15695-05-9
Dutch - Alsof het voorbij is. Amsterdam/Antwerpen: Uitgeverij Atlas, 2012. Pp. 160. ISBN: 9789045022673.
French - Une fille, qui danse. Collection Bibliothéque étrangère, Mercure de France, 2013. Translated by Jean-Pierre Aoustin. ISBN: 9782715232495.
Galician - O sentido dun final. Rinoceronte Editora, 2012. Pp. 164. Translated by Xesús Fraga. ISBN: 9788492866427.
German - Vom Ende einer Geschichte. Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2011. Pp. 192. Translated by Gertraude Krueger. ISBN: 9783462044331.
Romanian - Sentimentul unui sfarsit. Bucuresti: Nemira, 2014. Pp. 178. Translated by Radu Paraschivescu. ISBN: 9786065796713.
Spanish - El sentido de un final (The Sense of an Ending). Barcelona: Editorial Anagrama, 2012. Pp. 192. Translated by Jaime Zulaika. ISBN: 9788433978523.
INTERVIEWS
10/02/2014 - The key is gaining the reader's trust: An evening with Julian Barnes - Laura Dunbar, The Saint
08/10/2012 - Julian Barnes: The Sense of an Ending - Kurt Andersen, Studio 360
11/08/2011 - Conversation: Julian Barnes, Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize - Jeffrey Brown, PBS Newshour Art Beat
11/08/2011 - Speak, Memory: 'An Ending' That Uncovers The Past - Linda Wertheimer, NPR Weekend Edition
11/04/2011 - Julian Barnes - Carol Off, As It Happens
["I had learnt the ins and outs of not winning the Booker...so it was nice to see the other side," Barnes tells As It Happens host Carol Off during a recent interview.]
10/19/2011 - Man Booker Prize won by Julian Barnes on fourth attempt - Tim Masters, BBC News
10/18/2011 - At a glance: Man Booker shortlist 2011 - BBC News [Rebecca Jones, BBC Today]
10/18/2011 - Julian Barnes on his 'gratifying' Man Booker Prize win - Gavin Esler, BBC Newsnight
[Julian Barnes has talked to Gavin Esler on Newsnight about what it feels like to win the Man Booker Prize, after making the shortlist for the fourth time with his winning novel "The Sense of an Ending".]
REVIEWS
10/16/2011 - Life in Smoke and Mirrors - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
10/16/2011 - The Sense of an Ending By Julian Barnes - Jane Juska, San Francisco Chronicle
10/13/2011 - Julian Barnes Searches For 'Sense' In A Hazy 'Ending' - Heller McAlpin, NPR Books
10/13/2011 - With 'The Sense of An Ending' Julian Barnes' writes a novel for the ages - John Freeman
10/11/2011 - The Sense of an Ending - A. J. Kirby, New York Journal of Books
10/10/2011 - The Sense of an Ending By Julian Barnes - Jeff Turrentine, Washington Post
08/14/2011 - Review - The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes - Ion Trewin, Scottish Sunday Express
08/13/2011 - An all too human story of great unrest. - Eileen Battersby, Irish Times
08/12/2011 - The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes - Sandra Martin, The Globe and Mail
08/08/2011 - Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending - Andrew P Street, Time Out (Sydney)
08/08/2011 - The Sense of an Ending - Leo Robson, New Statesman
08/06/2011 - Julian Barnes presents something to be frightened of - Geordie Williamson, The Australian
08/06/2011 - Misty watercolour—and flawed—memories - Jill Wilson, Winnipeg Free Press
08/06/2011 - Perils of the stiff upper lip. - Ian McGillis, The Gazette Montreal
08/06/2011 - The Sense of an Ending - Michael Prodger, Financial Times
08/06/2011 - The Sense of an Ending By Julian Barnes - James Grainger, The Toronto Star
08/05/2011 - Journey into the past. - Kalgoorlie Miner (Western Australia) p.12
08/05/2011 - The Sense of an Ending, By Julian Barnes - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent
08/01/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: review - Toby Clements, The Telegraph
08/00/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - Robin Leggett, TheBookbag
07/30/2011 - Death and hand-cut chips. - Ruth Scurr, The Times
07/30/2011 - The Forgetting Game. - Justine Jordan, The Guardian Review
07/29/2011 - Book review - The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes - Christopher Bray, Scottish Express
07/29/2011 - Literary Fiction. - Michael Arditti, Daily Mail London
07/26/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - Justine Jordan, The Guardian
07/25/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: review - Anita Brookner, Daily Telegraph
07/24/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - Peter Kemp, The Sunday Times
07/21/2011 - Economically-told novella from the master storyteller - Brian Donaldson, The List
07/21/2011 - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - review - Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard
Spanish Translation
11/28/2012 - El balance de Julian Barnes - Elena Hevia, El Periódico
11/28/2012 - A medida que me hago mayor desconfío cada vez más de la memoria - la Razon
11/27/2012 - Julian Barnes - David Morán, ABC
11/27/2012 - "Ya no confío en mi memoria, por eso escribo ficción" - Vis Molina, El Cultural
11/27/2012 - ¡Habla, memoria! (pero sin engañar) - Carles Geli, El País
11/19/2012 - Cuando la memoria es frágil y arrastra el peso de la culpa - Luis M. Alonso, LNE
11/2012 - El tiempo lo destruye todo - Sergi Sánchez, El Periódico
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