A history of the world in 10 1/2 chapters

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters is a grandly ambitious and inventive work of fiction by Julian Barnes.

The book consists of 13 short stories that span across various periods of human history, from the voyage of Noah's Ark to a sneak preview of heaven.

It includes tales of a cruise ship hijacked by terrorists, woodworms tried for blasphemy in medieval France, and an astronaut searching for the remains of Noah's Ark. The stories explore the relationship between fact and fabulation, history and love, and are linked by recurring themes and characters, such as the woodworms who serve as a metaphor for decay and the erosion of historical understanding.