Nothing to Be Frightened Of

Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes is one of the brightest and most original prose stylists of contemporary Britain, the author of such international bestsellers as "England, England," "Flaubert’s Parrot," "A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters," "Love, etc.," "Middlesex" and many others. Perhaps his main talent is the ability to play with styles and genres in his works easily and naturally. Subtle stylization and biting irony, refined lyricism and sarcasm that even borders on cynicism, aggressive sharpness and веселe mischief—Barnes can do it all and more. In his book "Nothing to Be Afraid Of," he reflects on the fear of death and on what, for many, predetermines their attitude toward death—faith. As always, Barnes’s reflections unfold against a broad cultural context, where stories from the lives of great but long-gone figures—Montaigne and Flaubert, Stendhal and the Goncourt brothers, Shostakovich and Rossini—are interwoven with autobiographical observations.