Intelligence Squared

Ian McEwan on Speculative Fiction, Lost Poems and 'What We Can Know

September 18, 2025

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  • Ian McEwan's novel 'What We Can Know' explores the complex relationship between art, memory, and reputation, questioning how much we can truly know about the past and others. 
  • The novel uses a speculative future setting to examine contemporary issues like climate change, the impact of technology, and the human tendency towards 'derangement' or collective madness. 
  • McEwan suggests that the realist novel, despite challenges from other media and declining readership, remains a powerful tool for self-examination and understanding the human experience. 

Segments

Novel’s Premise and Themes
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(00:02:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Ian McEwan’s novel ‘What We Can Know’ uses a speculative future to explore how art, memory, and reputation are shaped by societal shifts and personal interpretations.
  • Summary: The conversation begins by introducing Ian McEwan and his latest novel, ‘What We Can Know.’ The setting of 2119 is described, with a drowned future resulting from a nuclear accident. The plot centers on a scholar’s quest to find a lost poem and the novel’s exploration of memory, love, betrayal, and the nature of literary posterity.
Literary Legacy and Ambition
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(00:06:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Writers may secretly aspire to create works that are widely discussed but not necessarily read in full, mirroring the unconscious absorption of language by figures like Shakespeare.
  • Summary: The discussion delves into the idea of literary legacy and the ambition for a work to be known and influential even if not widely read. Examples like ‘A Brief History of Time’ and Shakespeare’s ubiquitous phrases are discussed as instances where a work or author’s influence permeates culture without direct engagement from everyone.
Climate Change and Societal Derangement
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(00:13:19)
  • Key Takeaway: McEwan posits that ’the derangement’ is a collective madness affecting everyone, driven by our entanglement with unsustainable practices, and that individual denial of climate change is a form of magical thinking.
  • Summary: The conversation shifts to the theme of climate change denial within the novel, with McEwan explaining that his character is a ’nuanced climate change denier.’ This leads to a broader discussion of ’the derangement,’ a term McEwan uses to describe a collective societal madness fueled by our complicity in environmental destruction and our inability to confront difficult truths.
The Novel’s Role and Future
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(00:28:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The realist novel, by approaching large-scale issues like climate change indirectly and focusing on individual experience, remains a vital tool for understanding our moral responsibilities to future generations.
  • Summary: The latter part of the conversation focuses on the challenges of writing about climate change within the realist novel format. McEwan argues that tackling such immense issues requires an indirect approach, using the story of a poem to explore broader themes. He emphasizes the novel’s enduring power to foster empathy and self-examination, acting as an antidote to the superficiality of social media and the attention economy.