They depend on the novel in its entirety for their existence until you have lifted them out successfully to lead lives of their own in your reality. Well, from my accidental experience of comparing the abridged to the unabridged version we learn, apparently, curiously, real lives can be abbreviated in monographs (like Flaubert’s) but fictitious ones (like Braithwaite’s) cannot. Factual errors or the lack of real evidence become fairly irrelevant, we trust the work as a whole. We may turn to the novel for consolation.

In cases of death or betrayal this often becomes life-saving, but not always available…. As if only meaning can rescue us from our isolation. But it is the meaning we value most as a shared experience, and which takes us to its source, in the writer. A poor rendition (copy or postcard) of a work may cloud our appreciation or give it, alternately, a special significance. (Barnes reads other people’s work quite adequately, so pick one of those instead if you want to familiarise yourself with his voice - which is always an added bonus once you have become a Barnes-fan…) The bits about Flaubert in Flaubert’s Parrot are like studying the brushstrokes of a painting. For the rest, all I can add, pardoning his attempt is that, it is well-known some authors are just not good narrators) and notably of their own work (I bring William Golding to mind). Ingenious! But avoid it if you can, anyway, if you’re short on time with an ever-growing list of novels to get through (unless you are a Barnes scholar). He must do! So it’s an experiment, aha! An experience in what you CANNOT do to a novel. Was it edited in this way by Barnes himself? Doesn’t he see it utterly defeats the illustration of how a novel IS all its detail (providing it’s well written, of course) and only by its detail gives us that which remains elusive. I got it by mistake, and almost gave up on the entire book, because thus shortened it lost the pith of its detail that it depends on for its buoyancy. Don’t be tempted to avoid some of the Flaubert by going for the beastly cut version. There is an ABRIDGED version available, read by … the author himself. It only takes 7 hours - less than some ferry crossings! Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?Īnd twice over. Listen to everything this man has narrated, starting with the next Barnes. Have you listened to any of Richard Morant’s other performances? How does this one compare? Imperative! But only, always and ever the UNabridged version. Would you listen to Flaubert's Parrot again? Why?

Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes