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Article: Barnes plays tricks with myth and history in satirical 'England, England'.
- Article from:
- The Boston Herald
- Article date:
- May 21, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Boston Herald. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Julian Barnes has been called "the most quintessentially English author." Not uncharacteristically, his latest book is called "England, England" (Knopf, $23).
But the novel's central concept - explored with both raucous satire and a poignant character study - could be easily extended to this country, and with a little imagination to Boston.
Picture this: David Mugar buys Plum Island and turns it into a condensed, interactive smorgasbord of the area's tourist attractions. There's a replica of the Old North Church from which Paul Revere rides nightly; actors playing Thoreau and Emerson expound on transcendentalism near a miniature Walden Pond; and there's ...