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269 ratings | 67 reviews | avg rating:4.38

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Damian Barr

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United Kingdom

July 20

Website

https://www.damianbarr.com

Twitter

damian_barr

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction, Gay and Lesbian

Influences

Alice Walker, Truman Capote, Janice Galloway, Tennessee Williams, Dian ...more

Member Since

April 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdamian_barr

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I'm a writer and broadcaster. My books are 'The Two Roberts', 'You Will Be Safe Here' and 'Maggie & Me'.

'The Two Roberts' is my second novel. Meet Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun: artists, lovers, outsiders. From 1930s Glasgow to wartime London and the Fifties, this is the fictional story of two truly wild lives.

'Crackles with creative rebellion' DOUGLAS STUART

'immersive, intelligent, immensely sensual' ELIF SHAFAK

They were charismatic art celebrities - collected by major institutions, photographed by Vogue, filmed by Ken Russell for the BBC. But they lived as hard as they worked, dying young and penniless yet on the verge of a comeback.

Tender, bold and deeply personal, 'The Two Roberts' is a timely love-letter to these queer Scottis ...more

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Combine Editions
Damian Barr’s books

Average rating: 4.07 · 5,709 ratings · 923 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	You Will Be Safe Here 4.01 avg rating — 2,213 ratings — published 2019 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Maggie & Me 4.12 avg rating — 1,893 ratings — published 2013 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Two Roberts 4.16 avg rating — 962 ratings — published 2025 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Common People: An Anthology of Working Class Writers by Kit de Waal (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Damian Barr (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Malorie Blackman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.15 avg rating — 492 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Imagine a Country: Ideas for a Better Future by Val McDermid (Editor), Jo Sharp (Editor), Ali Smith (Contributor) 3.85 avg rating — 138 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Speak My Language, and Other Stories: An Anthology of Gay Fiction by Torsten Højer (Editor), Nick Alexander, Alfred Corn 4.03 avg rating — 77 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Others: Writers on the power of words to help us see beyond ourselves by Charles Fernyhough (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Leila Aboulela (Goodreads Author), Gillian Allnutt 4.19 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Get It Together : Surviving Your Quarterlife Crisis 3.46 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2004 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Out There: An Anthology of Scottish LGBT writing by Zoë Strachan (Editor), Damian Barr (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Toni Davidson (Contributor) 3.68 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tout ira bien 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Damian’s Recent Updates

Damian liked Hannah's review of Maggie & Me: "One of my favourite memoirs! I really enjoyed the writing styles, pacing and structure. Having a quote from Margret Thatcher at the start of every chapter really made Barr's connection to her feel real and honest. The style made us feel like we were " Read more of this review »
Aug 30, 2026 08:43AM · see review
Damian and 1 other person liked Redfern Barrett's review of Maggie & Me: "A brutal and heartfelt account of growing up gay in '80s Scotland, Maggie & Me details Damian Barr's own upbringing with unflinching honesty – all framed by his childhood fantasies of the distant Prime Minister. Class, sexuality, and gender all inter" Read more of this review »
Aug 30, 2026 08:43AM · see review
Damian liked Topher's review of Maggie & Me: "This is Damian Barr's early memoirs. We follow his rough upbringing. We see him struggle with his sexuality growing up in a not so pleasant environment. He was surrounded by instability and violence. I related a lot to the gay elements in school and " Read more of this review »
Aug 30, 2026 08:42AM · see review
Damian liked Marshall's review of Maggie & Me: "Wonderful coming of age book. "
Aug 30, 2026 08:42AM · see review
Damian made a comment on Caz’s review of The Two Roberts " thank you! For listening and for sharing. Michael's narration is ASTONISHING! ...more "
Aug 30, 2026 08:33AM · see review
Damian added a status update: Just devoured A Room Above A Shop - heartily recommend it. Treating myself to short novels while I crack on with writing the next one. The Two Roberts is out now in Canada! UK paperback coming on August 27th.
Aug 07, 2026 08:41AM · like · see status
Damian is now following Debby Binns and Steph
May 07, 2026 02:44AM
Damian made a comment on his status " thank you for these! "
Mar 09, 2026 04:39AM
Damian wants to read The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2026 03:27AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Damian Barr (?)

“We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some of us are on superyachts. Some of us have just the one oar.”
― Damian Barr, Imagine a Country: Ideas for a Better Future

tags: coronavirus, equality, inspirational, kindness, mental-health, wisdom

5 likes

“Reading is an act of radical empathy: turning the page instead of turning away.”
― Damian Barr, Maggie & Me

tags: feminist, inspirational, lgbtq, survivor, survivors-of-abuse

4 likes

“Maggie, tou made it possible -but not probably for me to be the man I am now.”
― Damian Barr, Maggie & Me

tags: abuse-survivors, lgbt, memoir, scotland

1 likes

See all Damian Barr's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Bookshop Band...: * A new chapter for The Bookshop Band	2	10	Feb 21, 2015 09:40AM
Gigi's Company: The Last Letter Game (Book Titles)	4842	940	Jul 08, 2023 03:29PM
Around the Year i...: LeahS Summer Challenge	33	56	Aug 04, 2023 07:24AM
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Around the Year i...: Summer Challenge 23: Raffle Entries	165	205	Sep 04, 2023 01:39AM
Around the Year i...: Sadie's ATY24	3	37	Jan 06, 2024 09:45AM
The Mookse and th...: 2025 Booker Prize speculation	455	719	Jul 29, 2025 05:49AM
The Mookse and th...: Our Favourite Books of 2025 - Dynamic Rankings	27	153	Jan 13, 2026 10:24AM

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Damian’s Quotes

“We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some of us are on superyachts. Some of us have just the one oar.”
― Damian Barr, Imagine a Country: Ideas for a Better Future

tags: coronavirus, equality, inspirational, kindness, mental-health, wisdom

5 likes

“You don't realise how much you're holding onto until you start to let go of it. I had had loads of therapy and thought I had come to terms with who I am, but there's something in the process of writing that unlocks other experiences, other emotions and you have to be prepared for that.”
― Damian Barr, Maggie & Me

tags: memoir, publishing, survival, writing-tips

0 likes

“Researching and writing my novel has taken me to some really dark places. It is when you are in these dark places that you can see: there is always hope, there is always love.”
― Damian Barr, You Will Be Safe Here

tags: contemporary, fiction, historical-fiction, south-africa, storytelling, truth

1 likes

“The second time I try to kill a man I'm fourteen. Killing a man seems a very grown-up thing to do - like writing in Biro.”
― Damian Barr, Maggie & Me

tags: abuse-survivors, lgbt, memoir, scotland

1 likes

“Mary the Canary lives in a cloud of perfume and colours. She's an auxiliary nurse by day and a country and western singer by night: bed pans and power ballass. She's so glamorous she makes Mrs Hart look plain. She is the other woman and I'm bring trained to hate her even though I've never met her.”
― Damian Barr, Maggie & Me