William Makepeace Thackeray 
The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. (Annotated) 

• This edition includes the following editor’s introduction: The parallel lives of two of the great masters of British literature: Dickens and Thackeray

Originally published in serial form in 1844, “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.” is a picaresque and historical novel by British author William Makepeace Thackeray. It tells the story of a member of the Irish gentry trying to become a member of the English aristocracy.



“The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.” concerns the life and times of the title character and narrator, a roguish Irishman. The fast-flowing satirical narrative reveals a man dedicated to success and good fortune. Born Redmond Barry, he leaves his homeland after shooting a man in a duel. He becomes a soldier of fortune in both the English and Prussian armies and later works as a professional gambler. Remade as a man of fashion, he courts a wealthy widow, marries her, and assumes her aristocratic name of Lyndon. He mistreats both her and her son and spends and gambles away her money…



Thackeray based the novel on the life and exploits of the Anglo-Irish rakehell and fortune-hunter Andrew Robinson Stoney.

This novel was adapted by Stanley Kubrick into his 1975 film
Barry Lyndon.