Ian McEwan’s Latest Literary Venture: A Bold Vision of Britain’s Climate-Changed Future

A New Chapter in Literary Excellence

Ian McEwan, one of the most celebrated authors in modern literary history and a distinguished Booker Prize winner, continues to shape contemporary English literature. His impressive career includes winning the 1998 Booker Prize for ‘Amsterdam’ and garnering six longlistings and shortlistings from the 1980s to the 2000s.

The Upcoming Novel: What We Can Know

Set to be published as his 18th novel, ‘What We Can Know’ takes place in a future UK partially submerged by rising seas, following the story of Tom Metcalfe, an academic at the fictional University of the South Downs investigating a lost poem.

The narrative begins in 2014 with renowned poet Francis Blundy reading a new poem dedicated to his wife at a dinner party. This poem, titled ‘A Corona for Vivien’, becomes an enduring mystery as no copy has ever been found, leading to generations of speculation about its message.

A Visionary Perspective

McEwan describes the work as “a novel about history, and what we can know of it, and of each other.” He explores how we live between the past and future, acknowledging our limited understanding of the dead and our fierce disagreements about the present. The author poses profound questions about our legacy to future generations and their perspective on the diminished world they will inherit.

Critical Reception

Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with Kirkus Reviews describing the book as a “philosophically charged tour de force.” The novel is being praised as a powerful homage to a lost era, featuring thoughtful meditations on the value of humanities, the work of poets and biographers, and the relationship between knowledge and poetical understanding of nature.

The author will be discussing his new work at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, followed by a book signing event. The novel is scheduled for release on September 18, 2025, promising to be another landmark publication in McEwan’s distinguished career.