Sian Cain 

Guardian Live: Ian McEwan – as it happened

Author Ian McEwan spoke about his latest book, The Children Act, in front of a live audience with the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland. Here are some of the event highlights
  
  

Ian McEwan
Author Ian McEwan, whose latest published novel is The Children Act. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

Atonement, Enduring Love, Amsterdam, now The Children Act: Ian McEwan is a classic English writer during his own lifetime. His latest offering, about a high court judge presiding over the case of a family refusing medical care to their terminally ill child on religious grounds, is both challenging and hugely topical.

In a Guardian event held at The Cadogan Hall, Ian McEwan spoke to the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland about writing, family and current affairs. Here are some of the highlights:

Watch the highlights of Ian McEwan’s Guardian Live chat.

It started with considerable excitement, for some:

The release of The Children Act, which revolves around a legal battle over the medical care of a child, is unexpectedly timely with the ongoing case of Ashya King. Ian spoke about the case, saying it appeared to him to be “one of those cascades of chaos that follow through bureaucracy”:

“I’m glad I kept my mouth shut”: Ian McEwan on the ongoing developments in the Ashya King case.

Ian spoke about the darkness of current news events, saying: “The unforetellable of nature of events in eastern Ukraine, Rotherham, Ebola, northern Iraq – sometimes I feel like a rabbit in the headlights.”

Ian McEwan news junkie

Ian expanded on his thoughts on religion, talking about the reaction of parts of the media when he expressed his opinions on Islam after a fatwa was issued against his friend and fellow author, Salman Rushdie. McEwan sheltered Rushdie in his cottage in the Cotswolds the night the fatwa was declared.

Ian McEwan discusses his thoughts on religion and the recent events in Syria and northern Iraq.

Ian spoke about specific current events, like fellow author Will Self’s comments about George Orwell, published earlier that day:

... as well as readdressing his own controversial comments, about novels being too long. “I resent the implication by some writers that if I write a short novel, it is because I can’t write a long one,” he said. “I always feel behind these conversations we’re really talking about sexual prowess... size matters.”

Overall, the feeling among established McEwan fans was that he was on good form:

You can listen to Ian McEwan’s Guardian reader event on the Guardian books podcast.

Are you on Twitter and attending a Guardian Live event? Be sure to tweet the hashtag #GuardianEvent when you go and let us know what you thought!

Interested in Guardian Live events? See our upcoming events list and find out about Guardian membership.

 

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