The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes - 4 stars

[Joy D]

The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes - 4* - My Review

I had previously read Julian Barnes’ novels, but this is my first time reading his non-fiction. This book is a biography of Dr. Samuel Jean Pozzi (1846 - 1918), a French surgeon. The book opens with the three men on their way from Paris to London. The other two are Prince Edmond de Polignac and Count Robert de Montesquiou, whose life stories are woven in with Pozzi’s. The title refers to John Singer Sargent's 1881 portrait of Pozzi wearing a scarlet coat or dressing gown. The book follows the doctor's life through his medical innovations, affair with Sarah Bernhardt, and friendships with notable people of the day, such as Oscar Wilde, Guy de Maupassant, and Marcel Proust. It vividly describes Paris of the Belle Époque period, and its intellectual and artistic circles.

It is anything but a traditional biography. It is structured in short chapters that skip between subjects. The author occasionally interrupts his own narrative to question his sources, admit gaps in the historical record, or share personal reactions. Do not miss the footnotes, which contain substantive information (not just citations of sources). It is quite creative in approach, offering scattered evidence, contradictory accounts, and noting the author’s own reactions. I appreciated Barnes's method. It works because he trusts readers to follow connections without heavy explanation. It feels like we are having an intelligent conversation about the past. It provides an overall sense of the culture as well as providing an account of a person who led an interesting life. If you are not familiar with Dr. Pozzi, the ending may surprise you (as it did me).