Julian Barnes

Julian Barnes

7 Series • 41 Books

7
Series
41
Books
7
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Talking It Over Books
Start with: Talking It Over (1991)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: Metroland (1980)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Plays
Start with: Arthur and George: Stage Version (1986)

ⓘ About Julian Barnes

Julian Patrick Barnes is an award-winning British from London best known for his post-modernist literature and crime fiction novels. His most prestigious awards include a Man Booker Prize Award in 2011, and three shortlists for the same in 2005, 1998, and 1984. He is also the winner of the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the Commandeur of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He typically writes his crime fiction under the moniker of Dan Kavanagh. He has also written numerous essays, short stories, and novels under his real name. Julian translated one of Alphonse Daudet’s novels and a German cartoon collection by Volker Kriegel into English. For the most part, his novels deal with the themes of love, truth, reality, and history.

All Book Series by Julian Barnes

1
Talking It Over book cover

Talking It Over

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1991

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1991
2
Love, Etc. book cover

Love, Etc.

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1992

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1992
1
Metroland book cover

Metroland

Series opener · book 1 of 13 · published 1980

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1980
2
Before She Met Me book cover

Before She Met Me

Book 2 of 13 · published 1982

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1982
3
Flaubert's Parrot book cover

Flaubert's Parrot

Book 3 of 13 · published 1984

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1984
4
Staring at the Sun book cover

Staring at the Sun

Book 4 of 13 · published 1986

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1986
5
A History of the World in 10½Chapters book cover

A History of the World in 10½Chapters

Book 5 of 13 · published 1989

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1989
6
The Porcupine book cover

The Porcupine

Book 6 of 13 · published 1992

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1992
7
England, England book cover

England, England

Book 7 of 13 · published 1998

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1998
8
Arthur & George book cover

Arthur & George

Book 8 of 13 · published 2005

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2005
9
The Sense of an Ending book cover

The Sense of an Ending

Book 9 of 13 · published 2011

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2011
10
The Noise of Time book cover

The Noise of Time

Book 10 of 13 · published 2016

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2016
11
The Only Story book cover

The Only Story

Book 11 of 13 · published 2018

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2018
12
Elizabeth Finch book cover

Elizabeth Finch

Book 12 of 13 · published 2022

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2022
13
Departure(s) book cover

Departure(s)

Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 2026

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2026
1
Arthur and George: Stage Version book cover

Arthur and George: Stage Version

Single-title series · published 1986

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1986
1
Cross Channel book cover

Cross Channel

Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1996

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1996
2
Evermore book cover

Evermore

Book 2 of 4 · published 1996

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1996
3
Explaining the Explicit book cover

Explaining the Explicit

Book 3 of 4 · published 2013

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2013
4
Homage to Hemingway book cover

Homage to Hemingway

Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2015

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2015
1
Letters From London book cover

Letters From London

Series opener · book 1 of 11 · published 1995

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1995
2
Something to Declare book cover

Something to Declare

Book 2 of 11 · published 2002

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2002
3
The Pedant in the Kitchen book cover

The Pedant in the Kitchen

Book 3 of 11 · published 2003

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2003
4
Nothing to be Frightened Of book cover

Nothing to be Frightened Of

Book 4 of 11 · published 2008

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2008
5
Death book cover

Death

Book 5 of 11 · published 2008

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2008
6
Keeping an Eye Open book cover

Keeping an Eye Open

Book 6 of 11 · published 2011

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2011
7
A Life with Books book cover

A Life with Books

Book 7 of 11 · published 2012

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2012
8
Through the Window book cover

Through the Window

Book 8 of 11 · published 2012

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2012
9
Levels of Life book cover

Levels of Life

Book 9 of 11 · published 2013

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2013
10
The Man in the Red Coat book cover

The Man in the Red Coat

Book 10 of 11 · published 2019

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2019
11
Changing My Mind book cover

Changing My Mind

Latest in the series · book 11 of 11 · published 2025

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2025
1
The Lemon Table book cover

The Lemon Table

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2004

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2004
2
Pulse book cover

Pulse

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2011

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2011
1
Best of Young British Novelists book cover

Best of Young British Novelists

Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1983

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1983
2
The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories book cover

The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories

Book 2 of 8 · published 1987

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1987
3
Secret Ingredients book cover

Secret Ingredients

Book 3 of 8 · published 2007

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2007
4
Birds of Prey book cover

Birds of Prey

Book 4 of 8 · published 2010

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2010
5
Stories to Get You Through the Night book cover

Stories to Get You Through the Night

Book 5 of 8 · published 2010

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2010
6
The Library Book book cover

The Library Book

Book 6 of 8 · published 2012

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2012
7
That Glimpse of Truth book cover

That Glimpse of Truth

Book 7 of 8 · published 2014

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2014
8
Lives of Houses book cover

Lives of Houses

Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2020

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2020

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Julian Barnes?

Julian Patrick Barnes is an award-winning British from London best known for his post-modernist literature and crime fiction novels. His most prestigious awards include a Man Booker Prize Award in 2011, and three shortlists for the same in 2005, 1998, and 1984. He is also the winner of the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the Commandeur of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Which Julian Barnes series should I start with?

The best place to start is the Talking It Over series, the earliest of Julian Barnes's multi-book series: it opens with Talking It Over (1991) and runs to 2 books across 1991–1992, ending with Love, Etc. (1992).

How many books has Julian Barnes written?

Julian Barnes has 41 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1980 and 2026. 2 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Talking It Over series with 2 books — and 39 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

In what order should Julian Barnes's series be read?

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Julian Barnes's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Talking It Over (1991–1992, 2 books).

How are Julian Barnes's books organised into series?

This guide splits Julian Barnes's 41 books into 1 named series and 39 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Talking It Over (2 books, 1991–1992).