Barry Unsworth Books In Order

Publication Order of Sacred Hunger Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Directions Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Barry Unsworth was an English author known for writing historical fiction. Throughout the course of his career he was able to release over a dozen novels. He was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize and won one time for Sacred Hunger, his 1992 novel.

Born in 1930, the novelist grew up in a small mining community in County Durham, north of England. He studied English at Manchester University and also went through two years of national service. After that, Barry resided in France for a year teaching English.

Barry was able to travel quite a bit through Turkey and Greece during the sixties. He taught at the Universities of Istanbul and Athens. He would pass away due to lung cancer in Italy in 2012.

Sacred Hunger is the first book in the series by the same name by Barry Unsworth. If you have been looking for a new voice in fiction to introduce to your bookshelf but don’t want someone who just arrived on the scene, you can’t go wrong with this classic book.

This debut in the series is an exploration of themes such as domination, power, and greed. The result is a dramatic work that will keep readers turning the pages until they get to the end once they get their hands on it.

Full of a sacred hunger to expand its empire and the profits that come along with it, England came into the slave trade in full and would go on to spread the trade throughout all of its colonies. This is a Booker Prize award winning work where the author follows along with the merchant William Kemp.

William is contending with failing fortunes and is a merchant who is putting the last chance that he has onto a slave ship. It also follows along with his son, who needs quite a bit of money because he has fallen for an upper class woman. Then there is his nephew, who sails on the ship and serves as its doctor thanks to the fact that he has lost everything he loved.

The voyage is headed for a bad end when all of a sudden the slaves start experiencing a disease that is spreading among them. Worse than that, the drastic response from the captain ends up resulting in a mutiny. The sailors and the slaves come together in order to come up with a secret utopian society that takes place in Florida’s wilderness, awaiting the revenge of the young Kemp who remains singularly minded. Read this book to find out how it ends and what happens along the way!

The Quality of Mercy is the second book in the Sacred Hunger series by Barry Unsworth. If you thought that the first book in this series was very readable, keep all of the adventure going by getting your hands on a copy of this sequel.

The year is 1767 and the time is the spring. Erasmus Kemp has decided that he is going to bring back some fugitive settlers from America, among them Sullivan, who serves as an Irish fiddler. If you love historical fiction then you are really going to like this work from this author who has delivered a rich and rewarding work for readers and fans of the genre to enjoy.

Sullivan sits in jail as he has been accused of playing a part when it comes to the loss of a ship that belongs to Kemp’s father. He makes a vow where he wants to get his freedom back and decides that he is going to personally deliver the news that a shipmate has passed to his family.

His prayers are eventually heard along the way and he also manages to get out of jail. He has no idea that he is actually on a direct path and a course where he is going to deal with his nemesis again. As the two men become involved in an epic struggle, they will find that Kemp’s endless desire for wealth will be put up against with the passionate advocacy for the poor and powerless that Sullivan puts forth. If you love historical fiction, check out the second book in this series from Barry Unsworth and see what you think of it!