Ian McEwan Interview: On Making Love Work in Fiction

"Literature thrives on conflict." The renowned British writer Ian McEwan talks of making love work in fiction, the amazing evolution of the novel as a genre, and the mature writer as a toddler of old age.
In literature it seems impossible that someone could be married to the woman they love, McEwan says: "Novels struggle constantly with the business of trying to portray sustained happiness." Happiness and love is always something fleeting, and thus very precious: "It's the nature of the human condition that we're only truly happy in bursts. We can't be constantly happy."
Growing older means seeing more and forgiving more, while also loosing some of the fabulous energy of the twenties, explains McEwan: "Novelists don't have to retire at the age of 31, they accumulate more life, more love, more disappointments, more of everything." Our consciousness is embodied -- our thoughts depend on the body. Growing older is all about the slow collapse of the body: "There's always something worse coming down the track" he adds with a sly smile. But although times change, the same awkward, fumbling issues remain with us.
Ian McEwan (b. 1948) is an award winning English novelist and screenwriter. McEwan has been nominated for the Man Booker prize six times to date, winning the prize for 'Amsterdam' in 1998. In 2001, he published 'Atonement', which was made into an Oscar-winning film. This was followed by 'Saturday' (2005), 'On Chesil Beach' (2007), 'Solar' (2010), and 'Sweet Tooth' (2012). He was awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 2011.
Ian McEwan was interviewed by Synne Rifbjerg at Louisiana Literature festival at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2013
Photographers: Klaus Elmer & Mathias Nyholm Schmidt
Editing by Kamilla Bruus
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, 2013
Supported by Nordea-fonden

[@Kevin-xs8xn]

wisdom, this.
"it’s very difficult to do happiness in novels in a sustained way, we really leave that to poetry, lyric poetry, which can see our moments. its the nature of the human condition that we’re only truly happy in bursts, we can’t be constantly happy"
"literature loves difficulty, thrives on conflict"
“we’re right to leave best expressions of love to poets"
“its the fleetingness that gives love its precious quality"
on aging:
“the slow collapse of your body becomes a subject in itself"
“i think of myself as a toddler in the business of being old”
on novels
“we have not yet invented another art form that allows us such access to the minds of others"

[@wanjooalexkim]

Excellent. What a sage. Love that he doesn't pontificate or ram his ideas down your throat. A gentle giant for sure.

[@thewordofgord]

I came to this as a longtime McEwan fan, but this is really praiseworthy. A wonderful talk by one of our preeminent novelists. Thank you!
wordofgord

[@ramdularsingh1435]

Here is a wonderful author with his own experiences. You can disagree with him ; that's why he is not read by all of the world. But he is a brilliant novelist.

[@RkristinaTay]

He speaks wonderfully and seems like a wonderful man. Somehow I sense that he hasn't experienced real personal emotional fear, only deep unpleasantness or mystification at the cruel violence of other human beings. He is an innocent and seems not to personally have experienced evil. Lucky him. Life is simpler that way.

[@manthasagittarius1]

+Nell philpott This suggests to me that you have not read much or any of his work. You don't necessarily take from your own literal experience for material about human nature, and by this I mean the extreme darks and lights of emotion and motivation, as well as actual events. Perhaps the best tool he has always had as a writer is his shrewd and detailed powers of observation of people, together with his shocking honesty. Personally I think he probably sees "evil" as a feature of human emotional composition, no more, no less. I'd love the chance to ask him . . .
They used to call him "Ian Macabre." :) Read his early stuff -- it may surprise you.

[@artiesolomon3292]

The slow collapse of the body well described. The good old days seem always behind us. We leave long loves to the poets. Well said!

[@manthasagittarius1]

Go and find talks from each of Hitchens' three great friends -- McEwan, Rushdie and Amis. All of them carry insights for what lies under great fiction writing that go far beyond the usual preoccupations with technique or method.

[@williambenton5784]

Not my favorite interview with Ian, but only because I always expect a lot from him! He is a terrific author!

[@Robeeh2]

wonderful man wonderful mind

[@roniquebreauxjordan1302]

Great discussion....

[@patrickvonjanicke658]

Fantastic !

[@user-qr2tf8vl4k]

Russian romance is unparalleled in written word

[@bhattkris]

good talk.

[@AnnaLVajda]

I don't write fiction.