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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). Julian Barnes's new novel which 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.
Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with The Sense of an Ending, having been shortlisted three times previously with Flaubert's Parrot, England, England, and Arthur & George. Barnes has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh.
See Julian Barnes tour dates
Ian McEwan
One of Britain's most respected and acclaimed authors. After controversial short stories collections: 'Between The Sheets' and 'First Love, Last Rites' and his debut novel, 'The Cement Garden', he has gone on to write many modern classics. These include 'The Comfort Of Strangers'; 'A Child In Time'; 'Enduring Love'; and the 1999 Booker winner, 'Amsterdam'. His most recent novel, and many say his best, is 'Atonement' which was nominated for the 2001 Booker.
See Ian McEwan tour dates
Union Chapel
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on Tue 20 January 2026