Love is the meeting point of truth and magic. Truth, as in photography; magic, as in ballooning.
Julian Barnes – Flaubert’s Parrot
Essence of Love
E
Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes is a postmodern novel that explores the life of Gustave Flaubert, a 19th-century French novelist. The book is narrated by a retired doctor named Geoffrey Braithwaite, who is obsessed with Flaubert and his works. Braithwaite’s search for Flaubert’s stuffed parrot becomes a metaphor for his own quest to understand the author. The novel uses a non-linear structure and incorporates historical facts, literary criticism, and fictional elements. Barnes questions the nature of truth and the reliability of biography. Ultimately, Flaubert’s Parrot is a tribute to the power of literature and the enduring legacy of great writers.