Julian Barnes’ novel A History of the World in 10½ Chapters contains a section set in a hedonist’s heaven. The inhabitants, who can do what they like with a stream of willing celebrity participants, are very soon bored to distraction.
If Barnes’ send-up of the afterlife went unmentioned in this excellent Easter week series of The Essay (21-25 March) then it soon became clear that each of the five writers involved was in some way reacting to the facile, fais ce que voudras view of the great unknown. Eternity, we soon discovered, was an eternally complex business requiring an endless series of distinctions from the people who might be contemplating it.
31 March 2016, The Tablet
Endless questions
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login