Ian McEwan on Imagining the World After Disaster

In The New Yorker Radio Hour, David Remnick interviews British author Ian McEwan about his new novel, "What We Can Know," a work of speculative fiction set in a dystopian future. McEwan discusses the thematic concerns and inspirations behind the book, including moral duties to the future, a long poem, and the Long Now Foundation. They delve into the novel's exploration of a world narrowly avoiding complete destruction, touching on McEwan's "nuanced optimism" in the face of potential global catastrophes like nuclear war and climate change. McEwan reflects on his evolution as a writer, his views on the role of the novel in understanding modern life, and his creative process, including research and the experience of writing itself. The conversation also addresses the use of personal experiences, such as his mother's dementia, in his work, and his perspective on writing from different perspectives, like those of women.