Julian Barnes in conversation with Ian McEwan

Presented in partnership with Waterstones.

Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan are widely celebrated as two of the finest writers of their generation. Along with Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro, they were included on Granta’s prescient Best Young British Novelists list in 1993 and have gone on to write some of the most memorable novels of the past three decades.

On Tuesday January 20 they will come together for a live Intelligence Squared event, to celebrate the publication of Departure(s), and to mark Julian Barnes’s 80th birthday. Departure(s), Barnes’s new novel, follows a man named Stephen and a woman called Jean who fall in love when they are young and again when they are old. Barnes and McEwan will draw on the themes of the novel to discuss topics including philosophy, art, the slipperiness of memory, the passage of time, mortality and grief. 

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear two of the most celebrated voices in contemporary British literature discussing their craft and reflections on life. You will also have the chance to ask your own questions during the audience Q&A.

All tickets include an exclusive print of the book jacket of Departure(s), designed by Suzanne Dean, who has designed the covers of many of Barnes’s novels.

If you require an access seat, please choose ‘concession’ and email us at with your access needs so we can seat you accordingly

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