Is it a novel? Or is it a tapestry of 10 1/2 vignettes on the broad theme of discovery? Barnes himself has said that ‘A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters’ was conceived as the former but I would be more inclined to agree with the latter. The irony here is that the main themes of this book revolve around the idea of alternative perspectives … so perhaps we are both right.
Like Barnes’ other short stories (I reviewed his latest collection ‘Pulse’ last month), the ‘chapters’ are a mixed bunch and aside from repeated nautical metaphors, I’m not fully convinced that it hangs together all that well as a ‘novel’. However, the opening chapter set on Noah’s Ark is pure satirical brilliance, and the 1/2 chapter ‘Parenthesis’ is beautifully written and is definitely Barnes at his best. Perhaps I will only fully appreciate the book at a novel by re-reading it as a later date. Continue reading
A Little Blog of Books 