"I shouldn't write a book just because it would be published. You ought to go on until you've said everything you've got to say, and I've reached that point. I won't stop writing, because I've been a journalist all my life, before I became a novelist. So I shall do journalism, reviews and things like that. But in terms of books, this is my last."
"Departures(s), which centres on his role as go-between for two anonymised friends, Stephen and Jean, who became lovers but then separated, has been described as a hybrid of memoir, essay and fiction, bringing together many of the themes of Barnes's work, including memory, love, friendship, ageing and death. The author, who was diagnosed six years ago with a rare type of blood cancer which is managed by taking chemotherapy in pill form daily, said of his illness: Right now, it's a score draw."
Julian Barnes announced that Departure(s) will be his last book, explaining he has reached the point of having said everything he has to say. Departure(s) focuses on his role as go-between for two anonymised friends, Stephen and Jean, and mixes memoir, essay and fiction while examining memory, love, friendship, ageing and death. Barnes marks a 45-year career with 15 novels and 10 nonfiction works, beginning with Metroland (1980) and gaining a breakthrough with Flaubert's Parrot (1984). He was diagnosed six years ago with a rare blood cancer managed by daily oral chemotherapy and described the illness as "a score draw." He was widowed in 2008 and secretly remarried last August to Rachel Cugnoni.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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