Ian Russell McEwan
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Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
. In 2008, '' The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and '' The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". McEwan began his career writing sparse, Gothic short stories. His first two novels, ''
The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original p ...
'' (1978) and ''
The Comfort of Strangers ''The Comfort of Strangers'' is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). Harold Pinter adapted it as a screenplay for a film d ...
'' (1981), earned him the nickname "Ian Macabre". These were followed by three novels of some success in the 1980s and early 1990s. His novel '' Enduring Love'' was adapted into a film of the same name. He won the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
with '' Amsterdam'' (1998). His next novel, '' Atonement'', garnered acclaim and was adapted into an Oscar-winning
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
featuring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. His later novels have included '' The Children Act'', '' Nutshell'', and ''
Machines Like Me ''Machines Like Me'' is the 15th novel by the English author Ian McEwan. The novel was published in 2019 by Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until h ...
''. He was awarded the 1999 Shakespeare Prize, and the 2011
Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...
.


Early life

McEwan was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 21 June 1948, the son of David McEwan and Rose Lilian Violet (''
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Moore). His father was a working-class Scotsman who had worked his way up through the army to the rank of major. McEwan spent much of his childhood in East Asia (including Singapore), Germany, and north Africa (including Libya), where his father was posted. His family returned to England when he was 12 years old. He was educated at Woolverstone Hall School in
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
; the University of Sussex, where he received a degree in English literature in 1970; and the University of East Anglia, where he undertook a master's degree in literature (with the option to submit creative writing instead of a critical dissertation).


Career


Early career: short stories and 'Ian Macabre' phase, 1975–1987

McEwan's first published work was a collection of short stories, ''
First Love, Last Rites ''First Love, Last Rites'' is a collection of short stories by Ian McEwan. It was first published in 1975 by Jonathan Cape, with cover designed by Bill Botten, and re-issued in 1997 by Vintage. Context The collection is McEwan's first pu ...
'' (1975), which won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1976. He achieved notoriety in 1979 when the BBC suspended production of his play ''Solid Geometry'' because of its supposed obscenity. His second collection of short stories, ''
In Between the Sheets ''In Between the Sheets'' (1978) is the second collection of short stories by British writer Ian McEwan. Context The collection is McEwan's second book and second collection of short stories, and was regarded by the author (along with his first ...
'', was published in 1978. ''
The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original p ...
'' (1978) and ''
The Comfort of Strangers ''The Comfort of Strangers'' is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). Harold Pinter adapted it as a screenplay for a film d ...
'' (1981), his two earliest novels, were both adapted into films. The nature of these works caused him to be nicknamed "Ian Macabre". These were followed by his first book for children, ''Rose Blanche'' (1985), and a return to literary fiction with '' The Child in Time'' (1987), winner of the 1987 Whitbread Novel Award.


Mid-career: mainstream success and Booker Prize win, 1988–2007

After ''The Child in Time'', McEwan began to move away from the darker, more unsettling material of his earlier career and towards the style that would see him reach a wider readership and gain significant critical acclaim. This new phase began with the publication of the mid-
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
espionage drama '' The Innocent'' (1990), and '' Black Dogs'' (1992), a quasi-companion piece reflecting on the aftermath of the Nazi era in Europe and the end of the Cold War. McEwan followed these works with his second book for children, ''The Daydreamer'' (1994). His 1997 novel, '' Enduring Love'', about the relationship between a science writer and a stalker, was popular with critics, although it was not shortlisted for the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
. It was adapted into
a film A. Film Production A/S (previously A. Film A/S, A. Film ApS and A. Film I/S) is a Denmark, Danish animation studio currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Affiliated to the Copenhagen studio are A. Film Estonia located in Estonia and A. Film L ...
in 2004. In 1998, he won the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
for '' Amsterdam''. His next novel, '' Atonement'' (2001), received considerable acclaim; ''Time'' magazine named it the best novel of 2002, and it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2007, the critically acclaimed film ''Atonement'', directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, was released in cinemas worldwide. His next work, '' Saturday'' (2005), follows an especially eventful day in the life of a successful neurosurgeon. ''Saturday'' won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for 2005. His novel '' On Chesil Beach'' (2007) was shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize and was adapted into
a film A. Film Production A/S (previously A. Film A/S, A. Film ApS and A. Film I/S) is a Denmark, Danish animation studio currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Affiliated to the Copenhagen studio are A. Film Estonia located in Estonia and A. Film L ...
starring Saoirse Ronan in 2017, for which McEwan wrote the screenplay. McEwan has also written a number of produced screenplays, a stage play, children's fiction, and an oratorio and a libretto titled ''For You'' with music composed by Michael Berkeley. In 2006, McEwan was accused of plagiarism; specifically that a passage in ''Atonement'' (2001) closely echoed a passage from a memoir, ''No Time for Romance'', published in 1977 by
Lucilla Andrews Lucilla Matthew Andrews Crichton (born 20 November 1919 in Suez, Egypt – d. 3 October 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland) was a British writer of 33 romance novels from 1954 to 1996. As Lucilla Andrews she specialised in hospital romances, and under ...
. McEwan acknowledged using the book as a source for his work. McEwan had included a brief note at the end of ''Atonement'', referring to Andrews's autobiography, among several other works. The incident recalled critical controversy over his debut novel ''
The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original p ...
'', key elements of the plot of which closely mirrored some of those of '' Our Mother's House'', a 1963 novel by British author
Julian Gloag Julian Gloag (born 2 July 1930) is an English novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels, the best known of which is his first, ''Our Mother’s House'' (1963), which was made into a film of the same name starring Dirk Bogarde ...
, which had also been made into a film. McEwan denied charges of plagiarism, claiming he was unaware of the earlier work. Writing in '' The Guardian'' in November 2006, a month after Andrews' death, McEwan professed innocence of plagiarism while acknowledging his debt to the author of ''No Time for Romance''. Several authors defended him, including
John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth ...
,
Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...
,
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
, Thomas Keneally, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith, and Thomas Pynchon.


Later career: political works and continued success, 2008–present

McEwan's first novel of the 2010s, ''
Solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
'', was published by Jonathan Cape and Doubleday in March 2010. In June 2008 at the Hay Festival, McEwan gave a surprise reading of this work-in-progress. The novel includes "a scientist who hopes to save the planet" from the threat of climate change, with inspiration for the novel coming from a Cape Farewell expedition McEwan made in 2005 in which "artists and scientists...spent several weeks aboard a ship near the north pole discussing environmental concerns". McEwan noted "The novel's protagonist Michael Beard has been awarded a Nobel prize for his pioneering work on physics, and has discovered that winning the coveted prize has interfered with his work". He said that the work was not a comedy: "I hate comic novels; it's like being wrestled to the ground and being tickled, being forced to laugh", instead, that it had extended comic stretches. ''Solar'' was followed by McEwan's twelfth novel, '' Sweet Tooth'', a meta-fictional
historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
set in the 1970s, and was published in late August 2012. In an interview with '' The Scotsman'' newspaper to coincide with publication, McEwan revealed that the impetus for writing ''Sweet Tooth'' had been " ..a way in which I can write a disguised autobiography". He revealed in an interview with '' The Wall Street Journal'', in November 2012, that the film rights to ''Sweet Tooth'' had been bought by Working Title Films – the company that had adapted ''Atonement'' as a film. ''Sweet Tooth'' was followed two years later by '' The Children Act'', which concerned High Court judges, UK family law, and the right to die. Two years after ''The Children Act'', McEwan's 2016 novel '' Nutshell'', a short novel closer in style and tone to his earlier works, was published. McEwan's next work, a short novella, was titled ''My Purple Scented Novel'' – part of which was published previously as a short story by the same title in '' The New Yorker'' in 2016. This short work was published to mark McEwan's 70th birthday in June 2018. McEwan followed ''Nutshell'' in April 2019 with the alternate history/science fiction novel ''Machines Like Me''. It concerns artificial intelligence and an alternate history in which Great Britain loses the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
and the Labour Party, led by Tony Benn, eventually wins the 1987 General Election. In September 2019, McEwan announced a quick surprise follow-up novella, ''
The Cockroach ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes o ...
''.


Awards and honours

McEwan has been nominated for the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
six times to date, winning the prize for '' Amsterdam'' in 1998. His other nominations were for ''
The Comfort of Strangers ''The Comfort of Strangers'' is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). Harold Pinter adapted it as a screenplay for a film d ...
'' (1981, shortlisted), '' Black Dogs'' (1992, shortlisted), '' Atonement'' (2001, shortlisted), '' Saturday'' (2005, longlisted), and '' On Chesil Beach'' (2007, shortlisted). McEwan also received nominations for the
International Booker Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announce ...
in 2005 and 2007. He is a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...
, a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was awarded the Shakespeare Prize by the
Alfred Toepfer Foundation The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. is a German foundation established in 1931 by the Hamburg merchant Alfred Toepfer. The foundation is committed to promoting European unification and ensuring cultural diversity and understanding between the coun ...
, Hamburg, in 1999. He is also a Distinguished Supporter of
Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious be ...
. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to literature. In 2005, he was the first recipient of
Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...
's Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox Visiting Scholar and Writers Program Award, in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
. In 2008, McEwan was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by University College London, where he had previously taught English literature. In 2006, the Board of Trustees of the Kenyon Review honored McEwan with the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement, writing that "McEwan's stories, novels, and plays are notable for their fierce artistic dramas, exploring unanticipated and often brutal collisions between the ordinary and the extraordinary". In 2008, '' The Times'' named McEwan among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In 2010, McEwan received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. The Helmerich Award is presented annually by the Tulsa Library Trust. On 20 February 2011, he was awarded the
Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...
for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. He accepted the prize, despite controversy and pressure from groups and individuals opposed to the Israeli government. McEwan responded to his critics, and specifically the group British Writers in Support of Palestine (BWISP), in a letter to ''The Guardian'', stating in part, "There are ways in which art can have a longer reach than politics, and for me the emblem in this respect is
Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...
's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – surely a beam of hope in a dark landscape, though denigrated by the Israeli religious right and Hamas. If BWISP is against this particular project, then clearly we have nothing more to say to each other". McEwan's acceptance speech discussed the complaints against him and provided further insight into his reasons for accepting the award. He also said he will donate the amount of the prize, "ten thousand dollars to
Combatants for Peace Combatants for Peace ( he, לוחמים לשלום; ar, مقاتلون من أجل آلسلام) is an Israeli-Palestinian NGO and an egalitarian, bi-national, grassroots movement committed to non-violent action against the “Israeli occupation ...
, an organisation that brings together Israeli ex-soldiers and Palestinian ex-fighters". In 2012, the University of Sussex presented McEwan with its 50th Anniversary Gold Medal in recognition of his contributions to literature. In 2014, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas paid $2 million for McEwan's literary archives. The archives includes drafts of all of his later novels. McEwan commented that his novel ''Atonement'' started out as a science fiction story set "two or three centuries in the future". In 2019, McEwan received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2020, McEwan was awarded the Goethe Medal, a yearly prize given by the
Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...
honouring non-Germans "who have performed outstanding service for the German language and for international cultural relations". According to the jury, McEwan's literary work ("Machines like us") is "imbued with the essence of contradiction and critical, depth-psychological reflection of social phenomena". Despite harsh attacks in his own country, the writer "openly defends himself against narrow-minded nationalisms" and appears as a passionate pro-European.


Views on religion and politics

In 2008, McEwan publicly spoke out against
Islamism Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is ...
for its views on women and on homosexuality. He was quoted as saying that
fundamentalist Islam Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...
wanted to create a society that he "abhorred". His comments appeared in the Italian newspaper ''
Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
'', to defend fellow writer
Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...
against allegations of racism. McEwan, an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, said that certain streams of Christianity were "equally absurd" and that he didn't "like these medieval visions of the world according to which God is coming to save the faithful and to damn the others". McEwan put forward the following statement on his official site and blog after claiming he was misinterpreted: :Certain remarks of mine to an Italian journalist have been widely misrepresented in the UK press, and on various websites. Contrary to reports, my remarks were not about Islam, but about Islamism – perhaps 'extremism' would be a better term. I grew up in a Muslim country – Libya – and have only warm memories of a dignified, tolerant and hospitable Islamic culture. I was referring in my interview to a tiny minority who preach violent
jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
, who incite hatred and violence against 'infidels', apostates, Jews and homosexuals; who in their speeches and on their websites speak passionately against free thought,
pluralism Pluralism denotes a diversity of views or stands rather than a single approach or method. Pluralism or pluralist may refer to: Politics and law * Pluralism (political philosophy), the acknowledgement of a diversity of political systems * Plur ...
, democracy, unveiled women; who will tolerate no other interpretation of Islam but their own and have vilified
Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
and other strands of Islam as apostasy; who have murdered, among others, fellow Muslims by the thousands in the market places of Iraq, Algeria and in the Sudan. Countless Islamic writers, journalists and religious authorities have expressed their disgust at this extremist violence. To speak against such things is hardly 'astonishing' on my part ('' Independent on Sunday'') or original, nor is it ' Islamophobic' and 'right wing' as one official of the Muslim Council of Britain insists, and nor is it to endorse the failures and brutalities of US foreign policy. It is merely to invoke a common humanity which I hope would be shared by all religions as well as all non-believers.' In 2007, Christopher Hitchens dedicated his book '' God Is Not Great'' to McEwan. In 2008, McEwan was among more than 200,000 signatories of a petition to support Italian journalist Roberto Saviano who received multiple death threats and was placed in police protection after exposing the Mafia-like
crime syndicate Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
,
Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...
, in his 2006 book '' Gomorrah''. McEwan said he hoped the petition would help "galvanize" the Italian police into taking seriously the "fundamental matter of civil rights and free speech". McEwan also signed a petition to support the release of
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani ( fa, سکینه محمدی آشتیانی; born 1967) is an Iranian Azeri woman convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and adultery. She gained international notoriety for originally being sentenced to death by sto ...
, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of committing adultery. On winning the
Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...
, McEwan defended himself against criticism for accepting the prize in light of opposition to Israeli policies, saying: "If you didn't go to countries whose foreign policy or domestic policy is screwed up, you'd never get out of bed". On accepting the honour he spoke in favour of Israel's existence, security, and freedoms, while strongly attacking Hamas, Israel's policies in Gaza, and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories—notable words, for the audience included politicians such as the Israeli President
Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
and
Nir Barkat Nir Barkat ( he, נִיר בַּרְקָת; born 19 October 1959) is an Israeli businessman and politician. He served as mayor of Jerusalem between the years 2008–2018. Biography Nir Barkat was raised in Jerusalem. His father, Zalman, was a ...
, the Mayor of Jerusalem. McEwan also personally attended a protest in Sheikh Jarrah against the expansion of Israeli settlements. In 2013, McEwan sharply criticised Stephen Hawking for boycotting a conference in Israel as well as the boycott campaign in general, stating that there are many countries "whose governments we might loathe or disapprove of" but "Israel–Palestine has become sort of tribal and a touchstone for a certain portion of the intellectual classes. I say this in the context of thinking it is profoundly wrong of the Israeli government not to be pursuing more actively and positively and creatively a solution with the Palestinians. That's why I think one wants to go to these places to make the point. Turning away will not produce any result". In 2009, McEwan joined the 10:10 project, a movement that supports positive action on climate change by encouraging people to reduce their carbon emissions. In 2013, as part of a wide-ranging interview with '' Channel 4 News'', McEwan discussed the furore that surrounded his remarks on
Islamism Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is ...
in 2008, stating "I remember getting a lot of stick five or six years ago saying something disobliging about jihadists. There were voices, particularly on the left, that thought anyone who criticised Islamism was really criticising Islam and therefore racist. Well, those voices have gone quiet because the local atrocities committed by Islamists whether in Pakistan or Mali is so self-evidently vile"."Iraq war marchers 'vindicated' a decade on - Ian McEwan"
4 News, 11 February 2013.
In the same interview, McEwan remarked that he felt that
protestors A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
of the 2003 Iraq War were "vindicated" by what happened subsequently; argued that the chief legacy of the Iraq War was that " ..sometimes there are things we could do efore that warwhich we no longer can" in foreign affairs; stated that at one point prior to the 2003 invasion he had hoped to be able to seek an audience with Tony Blair to persuade him not to go ahead with the war; and as someone who voted for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 UK general election, that the current
coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
of the United Kingdom should end, stating "Let's either have a Tory government or let Ed Miliband try something different", to try and turn around a country of "great inequity". McEwan is traditionally a Labour supporter and said he had his "fingers crossed" that Miliband would become Prime Minister. Following the referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union resulting in a win for the Leave or 'Brexit' campaign in June 2016, McEwan wrote a critical opinion article for ''The Guardian'' titled "Britain is changed utterly. Unless this summer is just a bad dream", published on 9 July 2016.Ian McEwan
"Britain is changed utterly. Unless this summer is just a bad dream"
''The Guardian'', 9 July 2016.
In the article, McEwan wrote of consequences of the 'Brexit' vote: "Everything is changed utterly. Or about to be, as soon as your new leader is chosen. The country you live in, the parliamentary democracy that ruled it, for good or bad, has been trumped by a plebiscite of dubious purpose and unacknowledged status. From our agriculture to our science and our universities, from our law to our international relations to our commerce and trade and politics, and who and what we are in the world – all is up for a curious, unequal renegotiation with our European neighbours". McEwan's piece appeared to conclude with a sense of bewilderment and unease at how events were panning out, anticipating the ascension of Theresa May to the leadership of the Conservative Party and her appointment as Prime Minister, and noting how the previously unthinkable in British politics had actually happened. McEwan's article was published on 9 July, and May effectively won the Conservative Party leadership contest on 11 July, which precipitated her appointment as Prime Minister two days later. In May 2017, speaking at a London conference on Brexit, apparently referring to what he believed to be the older demographic of leave voters, McEwan stated that 'one and a half million oldsters freshly in their graves' would result in a putative second referendum returning a 'remain' outcome.


Personal life

McEwan has been married twice. His first marriage was to Penny Allen, an astrologer and alternative practitioner, with whom he had two sons. The marriage ended in 1995. Two years later in 1997, McEwan married Annalena McAfee, a journalist and writer who was formerly the editor of The ''Guardians Review'' section. McEwan lives in London. In 2002, McEwan discovered that he had a brother who had been given up for adoption during the Second World War; the story became public in 2007. The brother, a bricklayer named David Sharp, was born six years earlier than McEwan, when their mother was married to a different man. Sharp has the same mother and father as McEwan but was born from an affair that occurred before they married. After her first husband was killed in combat, McEwan's mother married her lover, and Ian was born a few years later. The brothers are in regular contact and McEwan has written a foreword to Sharp's memoir. McEwan was a long-time friend of Christopher Hitchens, the writer and polemicist.


Bibliography


Novels

*''
The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original p ...
'' (1978) *''
The Comfort of Strangers ''The Comfort of Strangers'' is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). Harold Pinter adapted it as a screenplay for a film d ...
'' (1981) *'' The Child in Time'' (1987) *'' The Innocent'' (1990) *'' Black Dogs'' (1992) *'' Enduring Love'' (1997) *'' Amsterdam'' (1998) *'' Atonement'' (2001) *'' Saturday'' (2005) *'' On Chesil Beach'' (2007) *''
Solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
'' (2010) *'' Sweet Tooth'' (2012) *'' The Children Act'' (2014) *'' Nutshell'' (2016) *''
Machines Like Me ''Machines Like Me'' is the 15th novel by the English author Ian McEwan. The novel was published in 2019 by Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until h ...
'' (2019) *''
The Cockroach ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes o ...
'' (2019) (novella) *''Lessons'' (2022)


Short stories

*''
First Love, Last Rites ''First Love, Last Rites'' is a collection of short stories by Ian McEwan. It was first published in 1975 by Jonathan Cape, with cover designed by Bill Botten, and re-issued in 1997 by Vintage. Context The collection is McEwan's first pu ...
'' (1975) (Collection of short stories) *''
In Between the Sheets ''In Between the Sheets'' (1978) is the second collection of short stories by British writer Ian McEwan. Context The collection is McEwan's second book and second collection of short stories, and was regarded by the author (along with his first ...
'' (1978) (Collection of short stories) *''The Short Stories'' (1995) (Collection of short stories) *''My Purple Scented Novel'' (2016 in '' The New Yorker'';
2018 as a booklet commemorating McEwan's 70th birthday)


Children's fiction

*''Rose Blanche'' (1985) *'' The Daydreamer'' (1994)


Plays

*''
Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration ''Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration'' is a television play written by Ian McEwan and directed by Mike Newell, part of the ''Second City Firsts'' series recorded by the BBC at Pebble Mill and broadcast on 10 April 1976. McEwan wrote the play in 1974, ...
'' (1976) *'' The Imitation Game'' (1980)


Screenplays

*'' The Ploughman's Lunch'' (1983) *'' Soursweet'' (1988) *'' The Good Son'' (1993) *'' On Chesil Beach'' (2017) *'' The Children Act'' (2017)


Oratorio

*''Or Shall We Die?'' (1983)


Libretto

*''For You'' (2008)


Film adaptations

*''Last Day of Summer'' (1984) *''
The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original p ...
'' (1993) *''
The Comfort of Strangers ''The Comfort of Strangers'' is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). Harold Pinter adapted it as a screenplay for a film d ...
'' (1990) *'' The Innocent'' (1993) *''
First Love, Last Rites ''First Love, Last Rites'' is a collection of short stories by Ian McEwan. It was first published in 1975 by Jonathan Cape, with cover designed by Bill Botten, and re-issued in 1997 by Vintage. Context The collection is McEwan's first pu ...
'' (1997) *'' Solid Geometry'' (2002) *'' Enduring Love'' (2004) *'' Atonement'' (2007) *'' On Chesil Beach'' (2017) *'' The Children Act'' (2017) *'' The Child in Time'' (2017) *''Sweet Tooth'' (in development)


Non-fiction

*''Science'' (2019)


References


Further reading

*Byrnes, Christina (1995), ''Sex and Sexuality in Ian McEwan's Work'', Nottingham, England: Pauper's Press. *Byrnes, Christina (2002), ''The Work of Ian McEwan: A Psychodynamic Approach'', Nottingham, England: Paupers' Press. *Byrnes, Bernie C. (2006), ''Ian McEwan's 'Atonement' and 'Saturday, Nottingham, England: Paupers' Press. *Byrnes, Bernie C. (2008), ''McEwan's Only Childhood'', Nottingham: Paupers' Press. *Byrnes, Bernie C. (2009), ''Ian McEwan's 'On Chesil Beach': the transmutation of a secret'', Nottingham: Paupers' Press. *Childs, Peter (2005), ''The Fiction of Ian McEwan'' (Readers' Guides to Essential Criticism), Palgrave Macmillan. *D'Eliva, Gaetano, and Christopher Williams, (1986), ''La Nuova Letteratura Inglese Ian McEwan'', Schena Editore. *Dodou, Katherina (2009), ''Childhood Without Children: Ian McEwan and the Critical Study of the Child'', Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University. *Groes, Sebastian (2009), ''Ian McEwan'', Continuum. *Head, Dominic, (2007), ''Ian McEwan'', Manchester University Press. *
''The Effects of Conflict in the Novels of Ian McEwan''. Jensen, Morten H. (2005)
*Malcolm, David (2002), ''Understanding Ian McEwan'', University of South Carolina. *Möller, Swantje (2011), ''Coming to Terms with Crisis: Disorientation and Reorientation in the Novels of Ian McEwan'', Winter. *Pedot, Richard (1999), ''Perversions Textuelles dans la Fiction d'Ian McEwan'', Editions l'Harmattan. *Reynolds, Margaret, and Jonathan Noakes, (2002), ''Ian McEwan: The Essential Guide'', Vintage. *Roberts, Ryan (2010), ''Conversations with Ian McEwan'', University Press of Mississippi. *Rooney, Anne (2006), ''Atonement'', York Notes. *Rooney, Anne (2010), ''Pissing in the Wind?''
The New Humanist
May 2010 *Ryan, Kiernan (1994), ''Ian McEwan'' (Writers and Their Work), Northcote House. *Slay Jr., Jack (1996), ''Ian McEwan'' (Twayne's English Authors Series), Twayne Publishers. *Williams, Christopher (1993)
Ian McEwan's The Cement Garden and the Tradition of the Child/Adolescent as 'I-Narrator
' Biblioteca della Ricerca, Schena Editore. *Wells, Lynn, (2010) ''Ian McEwan'', Palgrave Macmillan. *


Interviews


Interview with McEwan. BBC Video (30 mins)


*
Ian McEwan interview with Charlie Rose, 1 June 2007
(Video, 26 mins)


"Ian McEwan, The Art of Fiction". ''Paris Review''. Summer 2002 No. 173Ian McEwan: On how to make love work in fiction.
Filmed at Louisiana Literature festival 2013. Video interview by Louisiana Channel. * Bookworm Interviews (Audio) with Michael Silverblatt
May 1999July 2002May 2005May 2010
* Christoph Amend, Jochen Wegner
''Ian McEwan, Why Do You Want to Live Forever?''
in: Alles Gesagt? interviewpodcast from Zeit Online from December 2019


External links

*
Official blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:McEwan, Ian 1948 births 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century British short story writers 21st-century English novelists Academics of University College London Alumni of the University of East Anglia Alumni of the University of Sussex Booker Prize winners British expatriates in Germany English expatriates in Libya Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Costa Book Award winners English atheist writers English atheists English expatriates in Germany English expatriates in Singapore English humanists English male novelists English male screenwriters English male short story writers English short story writers English people of Scottish descent Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Jerusalem Prize recipients Living people Writers from Aldershot Prix Femina Étranger winners