The New Yorker Radio Hour

Ian McEwan on Imagining the World After Disaster

November 28, 2025·29 min·6-min readnarrativeliterary
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
In a conversation with David Remnick at the 92nd Street Y, novelist Ian McEwan reflects on his literary evolution, the moral weight of storytelling, and his latest speculative novel, What We Can Know, which imagines a future shaped by climate collapse and nuclear war. The episode lands

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Guest

I

Ian McEwan

narrative on The New Yorker Radio Hour

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Ian McEwanDavid RemnickJohn FullerStuart BrandGeorge EliotTolstoySaul BellowJohn UpdikeRichard Dawkins

Books

What We Can Knowby Ian McEwanThe Comfort of Strangersby Ian McEwanAtonementby Ian McEwan

Companies

Long Now Foundation

Topics

Climate ChangeLiterary FictionPhilosophy

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of The New Yorker Radio Hour and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.