Barney's Version

Barney's Version is a novel written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, published by Knopf Canada in 1997. The story is written in the style of an autobiography of Barney Panofsky, and recounts his life in varying detail. At the end of the book he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, which explains his memory losses (corrected by his son Michael through the use of foot-notes), and his repeatedly reminding himself of the name of the utensil use... more

Barney's Version is a novel written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, published by Knopf Canada in 1997. The story is written in the style of an autobiography of Barney Panofsky, and recounts his life in varying detail. At the end of the book he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, which explains his memory losses (corrected by his son Michael through the use of foot-notes), and his repeatedly reminding himself of the name of the utensil used to strain spaghetti (a colander). Barney may be viewed as an unreliable narrator, in that his recollections go from lucid to ludicrous with his varying mental states, but he is only mistaken about minor things. After being in development for 12 years, a film based on Barney's Version is currently in production with Paul Giamatti in the title role. Richard J. Lewis is directing the film and Robert Lantos is producing. Michael Konyves wrote the screenplay. Filming will take place in Montreal, the Laurentians, Rome and New York. Dustin Hoffman... less