The Third Ray

Now I’m excited.

Acclaimed British author Ian McEwan is one of my very favorite authors.  He is the author of, among others, ‘First Love, Last Rites’, ‘On Chesil Beach’ and ‘Atonement’ - adapted in 2007 into a major movie starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.  I was naturally delighted to hear that his next novel – due in 2010 – is inspired by climate change.

To my knowledge this is the first time that such a prominent, award winning author is producing a novel inspired by environmental issues. The entry of climate change into the literature through a work of fiction must represent a major milestone in the involvement of the arts in sustainability.

McEwan is an acute observer of the darker side of human nature, addressing complex psychological and moral issues in a terse style that is gripping and often somewhat disturbing.  What has been described as “McEwan’s preoccupation with disquieting subject matter” makes me wonder in anticipation as to whether he can be the first to bring out in a meaningful manner the truly disturbing human behaviors that are leading to climate change and its consequences.

Unfortunately we still have some time to wait.  But meantime, environmentalists might benefit from taking heed from what this highly acclaimed author had to say in a recent interview about what it takes to keep audiences interested and listening to your message:

“That’s another problem with writing about climate change – it’s full of facts and figures. We’re putting into the atmosphere 16 gigatons of carbon every year; it takes 16 terrawatts to run civilisation. It’s very necessary to keep these out. My character is engaged in a project to use light to split water, imitating something of the process of photosynthesis. Even writing sentences about splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, already I know that about half the readers [will] see the names of those gases and their minds white out. Just seeing the word ‘hydrogen’, they panic.”

Full interview here.