The Paper Men is a 1984 novel by British writer William Golding.

The novel follows Wilfred Barclay, an alcoholic and middle-aged writer trapped in an unhappy marriage, and his conflict with Rick Tucker, a young professor determined to write Barclay's biography.

Tucker is desperate to gain control over the writer's personal papers as he pursues Barclay across Europe.

[1] Golding was inspired to write the novel when reading Carlos Baker's biography of Ernest Hemingway.

Wilfred Barclay is to some extent a self-portrait by Golding, who was not patient with his critics.