That's one of the central problems of history, isn't it, sir? The question of subjective versus objective interpretation, the fact that we need to know the history of the historian in order to understand the version that is being put in front of us.
Julian BarnesHow often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but โ mainly โ to ourselves.
Julian BarnesHistory isn't the lies of the victors, as I once glibly assured Old Joe Hunt; I know that now. It's more the memories of the survivors, most of whom are neither victorious or defeated.
Julian BarnesYou would think, wouldnโt you, that if you were the child of a happy marriage, then you ought to have a better than average marriage yourself โ either through some genetic inheritance or because youโd learnt from example? But it doesnโt seem to work like that. So perhaps you need the opposite example โ to see mistakes in order not to make them yourself. Except this would mean that the best way for parents to ensure their children have happy marriages would be to have unhappy ones themselves. So whatโs the answer?
Julian Barnes