Articles, Essays, & Short Stories

Essays, Articles & Short Stories

"Politics and the Imagination: Reflections on George Orwell's 'Inside the Whale'." The Orwell Lecture, November 2021.

"Brexit, the most pointless, masochistic ambition in our country's history, is done." The Guardian, 1 February 2020.

"Düssel..." New York Review of Books, 19 July 2018. [Short Fiction].

"My Purple Scented Novel." New Yorker 92.7 (28 March 2016): 62-67. [Short Fiction].

"The Laws of Fiction." New Republic 245.16 (29 Sept. 2014): 24-27. Published online as "The Heartwrenching Court Cases That Inspired My New Novel," 5 Sept. 2014.

"The God That Fails." New Republic 244.2 (25 Feb. 2013): 7-8. Published online as "When I Stopped Believing in Fiction," 14 Feb. 2013.

"Hand On The Shoulder." New Yorker 88.11 (30 April 2012): 58-65.

"Christopher Hitchens, Consummate Writer, Brilliant Friend." New York Times, 18 Dec. 2011: 1.

"JULY 8, 2005: London's Shock." New York Times, 26 Sept. 2010: 8.

"The Use Of Poetry." New Yorker 85.40 (7 Dec. 2009): 78-83.

'On John Updike.' New York Review of Books 56.4 (12 March 2009) [On John Updike].

'Beyond the Bounds of Realism.' The Guardian, 31 January 2009 [On John Updike].

'A New Dawn.' The Wall Street Journal, 8 November 2008 [Ian McEwan writes about global climate change and the election of Barack Obama].

'The Child in Time.' The Guardian, 12 July 2008 [Ian McEwan on his family's astonishing story and the brother he never knew he had ].

'The Day of Judgment.' The Guardian, 31 May 2008 [Essay on end-time thinking]. Published in two parts in The Guardian on 31 May 2008.

'A Parallel Tradition', The Guardian, 1 April 2006 [On the thirtieth anniversay of Richard Dawkins's groundbreaking book The Selfish Gene].

'A Tale of Two Cities', The Guardian, 22 October 2005: 21 [The Wall Jumper, by Peter Schneider].

'Hello, would you like a free book?', The Guardian, 20 September 2005.

'How could we have forgotten that this was always going to happen?', The Guardian, 8 July 2005 [Ian McEwan on the London bombings].

'Let's Talk about Climate Change', openDemocracy.net, 21 April 2005.

'The Master', The Guardian, 7 April 2005: 2 [Ian McEwan pays tribute to Saul Bellow].

'Save the Boot Room, Save the Earth', The Guardian, 19 March 2005 [Ian McEwan writes about his experience as a participant on the Cape Farewell March 2005 expedition. Learn more about McEwan's experience on the Cape Farewell Website].

'Collateral Damage', The Guardian, 15 January 2005: 4 [excerpt from the novel Saturday].

'Faith v Fact', The Guardian, 7 January 2005: 6 [McEwan is one of several people providing their thoughts on the topic].

'Lily', Granta, 88, Winter 2004: 123-137 [excerpt from the novel Saturday].

'The Diagnosis', The New Yorker, 80:40, 20 & 27 December 2004: 116-129 [excerpt from the novel Saturday].

'Season's Readings', The Guardian, 4 December 2004 [McEwan recommends some interesting books].

'A Cause for Joy', The Guardian, 12 July 2003 [McEwan writes about the life of Polly Bide].

'Ambivalence on the Brink of War', Open Democracy Website, 12 January 2003; reprinted in a longer version as 'Strong Cases For and Against War - But We Don't Hear Them', Daily Telegraph 10 February 2003 [Ian McEwan writes about war with Iraq].

'Mother Tongue', October 2001.

'Only Love and Then Oblivion', 15 September 2001.

'Beyond Belief', 12 September 2001 [Ian McEwan's reaction to September 11th]

'Turning Pages: Love & Death', Areté Magazine, 9, Autumn 2002: 97-114.

'The Great Odyssey', The Guardian (London), 9 June 2001: 1.

'Dunkirk', Granta, 73, Spring 2001: 9-42.

'The Great Listener', The Guardian (London), 29 November 2000: 2.

'A Spy in the Name of Art', The Guardian (London), 29 April 2000: 1.

'Wildlife: Why the Grass Is Greener', The Guardian (London), 11 November 1998: 4.

'Why the Grass Is Greener', The Guardian (London), 11 November 1998: 4.

'Move Over, Darwin...', The Observer (London), 20 September 1998: 13.

'Wonderful Worlds', The Guardian (London), 10 June 1998: 16.

'Wild Man of Literature (C1976)', The Observer (London), 7 June 1998: 16.

'Baby Please Don't Go', The Observer (London), 12 April 1998: 16.

McEwan, Ian, 'Golding Portrays Young Boys Accurately', Readings on Lord of the Flies, edited by Clarice Swisher (Greenhaven, San Diego, CA, 1997): 102-106.

'A Spiritual Legacy From Disbelief to Cultism', Financial Times (London), 20 April 1996: 15.

'Where Teaching People Is Right', The Daily Telegraph (London), 2 September 1995: 8.

'Updike's Intimations of Mortality', Financial Times (London), 4 February 1995: 13.

'The Rebirth of Human Nature', Financial Times (London), 7 January 1995: 16.

'Perspectives: The Plot Thickens for the Century's Final Chapter', Financial Times (London), 24 December 1994: 3.

'The Pick of the Publishing Year', Financial Times (London), 3 December 1994: 16.

'Letter: Miscellany', The Guardian (London), 14 September 1992: 20.

'Books for Christmas', The Independent (London), 2 December 1990: 31.

'Letter: Democratic Aims of Charter 88', The Independent (London), 12 October 1990: 20.

'The Pathology of Self-Deception', The Independent (London), 23 September 1990: 28.

'A Sceptic's Journey in Search of Self', The Weekend Guardian (London), 21 May 1989: 6.

'Do You Dare Like This Book?', New Statesman & Society, 3 March 1989: 11-12.

'The Unforgettable Momentum of a Childhood Fantasy', The Times (London), 22 September 1986: l5b.

McEwan, Ian, 'Schoolboys', William Golding: The Man and His Books, edited by John Carey (Faber & Faber/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, London/New York, 1986): 157-160.

'A Sweet Smell of Excess', The Sunday Times Magazine, 9 September 1984: 42-44.

'A Medium of No Importance', The Observer (London), 31 July 1983: 22.

'An Only Childhood: Ian McEwan Remembers Growing Up Without Brothers and Sisters', The Observer (London), 31 January 1982: 41.

'In Good Faith', The Spectator, 21 September 1981: 18.

'The State of Fiction - A Symposium', The New Review, 5:1, Summer 1978: 50-51.

'Deep Sleep, Light Sleeper', Harpers and Queen, August 1977: 82-85. (Short Story)

'Untitled', Tri-Quarterly, Winter 1976: 62-63. (Short Story)

'Intersection', Tri-Quarterly, Fall 1975: 63-86. (Short Story)