269 ratings | 67 reviews | avg rating:4.38

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Damian’s Year In Books

Damian’s 2025 Year in Books

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Damian Barr’s Followers (339)

Damian’s Bookshelves

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eclectic (1)
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Damian’s Friends (1,201)

Daniel Archer

996 books | 229 friends

Karen Mace

3,914 books | 515 friends

Michael Cook

371 books | 922 friends

Dan Malakin

607 books | 756 friends

Claire Reviews

4,024 books | 1,668 friends

Joanne

1,811 books | 138 friends

Jared Shurin

6,018 books | 477 friends

Rob

978 books | 94 friends

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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 · 5,309 ratings · 859 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	You Will Be Safe Here 4.01 avg rating — 2,170 ratings — published 2019 — 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
	Maggie & Me 4.12 avg rating — 1,851 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	The Two Roberts 4.17 avg rating — 657 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 — 485 ratings — published 2019 — 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
	Imagine a Country: Ideas for a Better Future by Val McDermid (Editor), Jo Sharp (Editor), Ali Smith (Contributor) 3.86 avg rating — 135 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) 3.75 avg rating — 24 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 is now friends with Alex Helm
Apr 13, 2026 08:28AM · like
Damian and 1 other person liked Rose Tea's review of The Two Roberts: "magnificent"
Mar 24, 2026 10:37AM · see review
Damian liked Jade Reed's review of The Two Roberts: "Didn’t expect to like this anywhere near as much as I did, completely incredible "
Mar 24, 2026 10:37AM · see review
Damian and 6 other people liked Marios Alexandrou's review of The Two Roberts: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Mar 24, 2026 10:37AM · see review
Damian added a status update: What are you reading? I am still reeling from Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers. HOW it was made into a film is beyond me. So dark and inward-looking and brilliant and queer.
Mar 09, 2026 04:40AM · 1 like · like · see status
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">
Damian is now following Kate Atkinson Author of Life After Life (Todd Family, #1)
Jan 15, 2026 07:35AM · like
Damian wants to read Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson	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 15, 2026 07:35AM · like
Damian wants to read The Artist by Lucy Steeds (Goodreads Author)	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 15, 2026 07:34AM · like

More of Damian's books…

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	939	Jul 08, 2023 03:29PM
Around the Year i...: LeahS Summer Challenge	33	56	Aug 04, 2023 07:24AM
Around the Year i...: Revised plan: LeahS	3	24	Aug 12, 2023 03:53AM
Fanatieke Nederla...: * FNLC2023 Gelezen Boeken Lijst & Punten	77	302	Aug 17, 2023 03:08AM
Around the Year i...: 26. A book related to pride	28	451	Aug 27, 2023 08:41AM
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	460	714	Jul 29, 2025 05:49AM
The Mookse and th...: Our Favourite Books of 2025 - Dynamic Rankings	27	150	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