Literary Birthday – 10 August – Barry Unsworth

Barry Unsworth was born 10 August 1930, and died 4 June 2012.

Five Quotes

1. Writers of historical fiction are not under the same obligation as historians to find evidence for the statements they make. For us it is sufficient if what we say can’t be disproved or shown to be false.
2. All my fiction starts from a feeling of unique perception, the pressure of a secret, a story that needs to be told.
3. I like the condition of being an outsider, just passing through.
4. In my generation, history was taught in terms of grand figures, men on whom the destiny of the nation hinged, quintessential heroes.
5. I’m unemployable in any other capacity.

Barry Unsworth was a British writer known for his historical fiction. He wrote 17 novels, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times. He won once for the 1992 novel Sacred Hunger.