JULIAN BARNES SOMETHING TO DECLARE

    Eighteen witty and brilliant essays on France from Julian Barnes; Julian Barnes's long and passionate relationship with France began more than forty years ago. As sceptical observer on family motoring holidays, assistant in a school in Brittany, student of the language and literature, author of Flaubert's Parrot and Cross Channel, he has criss-crossed the country and its culture The essays collected here, written over a twenty-year period, attest to his cleareyed appreciation of the Land Without Brussels Sprouts. He ranges widely, from landscape to literature, food to Flaubert, film and song to the Tour de France. His humour, timing and intelligence never falter. When Picador published his Letters from London, the Financial Times called him 'our finest essayist'. Something to Declare confirms that judgment: it is a great literary delight.

Preface
One-An Englishman Aroad
Two-Spending Theier Deaths on Holiday
Three-The Promises of Their Ordination
Four-The Land Without Brussels Sprouts
Five-Tour de France 1907
Six-Tour de France 2000
Seven-The Pouncer
Eight-French Letters
Nine-Flaubert's Death-Masks
Ten-Not Drowning But Waving:The Case of Louise Colet
Eleven-Drinking Ink
Twelve-Two Moles
Thirteen-Consolation v.Desolation
Fouteen-Tail-Flaying
Fifteen-The Cost of Conscientious Literature
Sixteen-Faithful Betrayal
Seventeen-Justin:A Small Major Character
Acknowledgements
List of lllustrations
Index