The LRB Podcast Julian Barnes: People Will Hate Us Again
15 snips
Apr 27, 2017 
Julian Barnes, an acclaimed novelist and essayist known for his explorations of memory and identity, delves into the works of Georges Simenon while reflecting on Brexit's impact. He connects Simenon's themes of xenophobia and societal division to today's Britain, highlighting the mainstreaming of prejudice by figures like Nigel Farage. Barnes critiques the misleading rhetoric of Brexiteers, painting a picture of a smaller, inward-looking Britain. He also comments on the rich cultural connections fostered by EU membership, expressing complex emotions about the political climate.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Reading Recommendation Becomes Personal Reflection
- Julian Barnes recounts Anita Bruckner recommending Georges Simenon's Ché-Cruel and his delayed reading of it.
- He links the novel's immigrant themes to his memories of conversations with Bruckner and Simonon's portrayal of outsiders.
How Fiction Reveals Escalating Racism
- Simonon shows how small-town prejudice escalates through rumours, violence, and official indifference.
- Barnes notes Simonon's spare language creates an uncanny unity of place, time, and social pressure.
Books Gain New Meanings In New Contexts
- Barnes observes that references to concentration camps appear in pre‑WWII fiction and that books gain extra weight from their reading context.
- He connects reading Ché-Cruel after the Brexit vote to seeing contemporary echoes of historical xenophobia.
