Intelligence Squared Julian Barnes in conversation with Ian McEwan (Part One)
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Feb 2, 2026 
Julian Barnes, acclaimed novelist and author of Departures, celebrates his 80th birthday while reading from his likely final book. He and Ian McEwan revisit youthful friendships, literary life in the 1970s, the slipperiness of memory, mortality and the book’s structure. Short, reflective conversations mix anecdotes, nostalgia and readings from Departures.
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Origin Of A Literary Friendship
- Julian Barnes recalls meeting Ian McEwan and others in the Pillars of Hercules pub in the mid-1970s as the start of their literary circle.
- He describes early reviewing work and nervousness before publishing his first novel, showing how friendships formed then shaped careers.
Gin And Bitter Lemon Humiliation
- Barnes tells a humiliating early-drinking story involving Ian Hamilton ordering drinks at the bar and Barnes fumbling his order.
- The story illustrates the social rituals and characters of their 1970s literary scene.
Terry Kilmartin's Exit
- Barnes shares a humorous anecdote about Terry Kilmartin storming out, then realizing he'd left his own house, showing the fallibility of memory and nerves.
- He follows with another wartime anecdote about smoking after being shot, underlining human absurdity amid seriousness.
