Julian Barnes Slash

[ivyblossom]

Have you read Julian Barnes' Talking it Over and its sequel, Love, etc.? I read them in the wrong order, starting with Love, etc. a few months ago and then Talking it Over just last week.

The basic premise is this: we have two men, Stuart and Oliver, best friends for roughly 15 years. They are polar opposites, and play up their differences a lot for others. The more staid one (Stuart) finds a girl and marries her. The more flamboyant one (Oliver) decides at some point along the way that he's in love with her as well. And so it goes.

I immediately fell in love with Oliver upon reading his witty repartée and literary ripostes. Also because he talks like he's got an ego like a rock star when he actually has the ego of a small dead rodent. What can I say. I'm such a sucker for characters like that.

Since I read these books in the wrong order, I missed one crucial conversation near the end of the first book: someone suggests that Oliver is only after the woman in question because, unable to face his true feelings for his best mate Stuart, he goes after whatever Stuart has instead. I am obviously intrigued by this thesis (not just because I am/have been a slash writer, I swear). I have spent today reading back over the sequel to see if this thesis holds up.

I think it's still arguable.

Has anyone read these books? I tried looking for some fanfic for them, but came up with nothing. I may need to write some of my own, particularly if I convince certain other poor souls (you know who you are) to read them just so that I can have someone else to discuss these crucial, slashy matters with.

Comments

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

Is this sort of autobiographical? I mean didn't Amis snatch Barne's wife away from him? They were virtually inseparable as friends, and then, well, you can't nick your best friend's wife without some severe consequences on the friendship. I seem to remember they had the sort of friendship where they were living in each other's back pockets until...

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

O_O REALLY. I have no idea, I don't know much about Julian Barnes' life. If Amis == Oliver, then I suppose it makes a certain degree of sense...though Oliver is the more fun character, and sort of more sympathetic in many ways.

Wow, didn't know that.

I bet he wouldn't like my slashing this novel, then. But...I don't know if I can resist!

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

I can't vouch for this 100% but I know that they were as thick as thieves for years and there was the sort of breech that was horrendous. I think it was Barnes that was source for all that kerfuffle over Amis' teeth.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

I can only find things like this (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/11/19/svamis19c.xml), which indicates that Amis said things that upset Barnes' wife, not that Amis stole her from him. But I'm still looking. :)

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

Now it's coming back to me. Barnes' wife, Pat Kavanaugh. was, I believe, Amis' literary agent. He dumped her for another agent (an American, shock!) who got him this STUNNING advance on one of his books from an American publisher. Like a million dollars or something like that. Which was what prompted all the nasty comments on his teeth because now he could afford to get his teeth fixed (something like $40,000 worth of dental work, those English) because of the stunning advance.

[kerri]

I haven't read those books, unfortunately, but they sound interesting, so I might have to!

Also, and this is random, but seeing your icon on my flist tonight made me happy *g* It's so familiar, and I like seeing posts from you, hehe. *rubs noses*

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Aww that's sweet. :) *rubs noses back*

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I KNOW WHO I AM.