Celebrated British novelist Julian Barnes has revealed he secretly married his former publisher, Rachel Cugnoni, last year, just ahead of his 80th birthday and while undergoing treatment for a rare form of blood cancer.
A Quiet Ceremony and a Joyous Revelation
The Booker Prize-winning author tied the knot with Ms Cugnoni in a modest ceremony at a register office in August last year. The event was witnessed by just eight people, and the couple kept their union a closely guarded secret for months.
They chose to announce their marriage only recently, during a party for 100 friends and family to celebrate Barnes's upcoming 80th birthday. It was there that Barnes made the surprise announcement, cleverly referencing a remark Cugnoni had made over a decade earlier.
A Speech Fulfilled and a New Chapter
Addressing his guests, Barnes reflected on a dinner in 2011 held to celebrate his Booker Prize win for The Sense of an Ending. On that occasion, Ms Cugnoni had told him his speech was so wonderful she would like him to eventually speak at her wedding.
Dropping the bombshell, Barnes told the party: 'Well, I suppose this is it.' He described the moving moment that followed: 'And then, when they realised what I meant, they all stood up and applauded. It was really moving.'
Love After Loss and a Health Challenge
Barnes spoke openly about finding love again after the death of his first wife, the respected literary agent Pat Kavanagh, who died from a brain tumour in 2008. He said he never expected to 'start again', but knew Kavanagh had given him her blessing to find happiness with someone else.
'It was a long time before I thought I might have another relationship,' Barnes told The Telegraph. 'I knew that Pat would want me to meet someone else. Fortunately, she didn't tell me – she told other people, when she was ill.'
His romantic relationship with Ms Cugnoni, whom he has known for 30 years since she was his publisher at Vintage, began eight years ago. This was just a couple of years before his diagnosis with a rare blood cancer, a battle he continues to face.
The news coincides with the publication next week of what he has called his final novel, Departure(s). It marks the end point of a stellar literary career that began with his first novel, Metroland, in 1980 and has spanned 15 novels.
