Ian McEwan

We channeled the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe alongside Josh Lucas, David Schwimmer, Arden Wohl, and Mary-Kate Olsen at the Accompanied Literary Society Halloween party.

The art world remembered Robert Rauschenberg at a Coalition for the Homeless benefit. 

We spent an anxious Election Eve with Graydon Carter, Tina Brown, Salman Rushdie, Regis Philbin, and Nora Ephron at the New York Public Library’s Library Lions benefit. 

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On Wednesday evening, a small and somewhat exhausted crowd gathered at the newly refurbished Oak Room to celebrate a screening of After the Party, Australian filmmakers Kirsty de Garis and Timothy Jolley's documentary about the life of the novelist, crime reporter, and Vanity Fair columnist Dominick Dunne. Mr. Dunne, who is currently battling cancer, was unable to make the screening because of a scheduled surgery. His presence was distinctly felt, however, with friends like Nora Ephron and MSNBC's Dan Abrams complimenting the film and eagerly sharing stories about the legendary writer.

We also spoke with editor Harry Evans and author Ian McEwan, who were seated across from each other and deep in conversation when we approached.  read more »

Robert McCrum, literary editor of the UK Sunday paper The Observer, stepped down this month after a decade on the job. Yesterday he deployed a parting shot both wistful and sober-minded. "When I joined The Observer in 1996, the world of books was in limbo between hot metal and cool word processing, " he writes, with a nostalgia that comes off not a little anachronistic, considering we're talking about 1996 here and not 1958. "Everything smelled of the lamp. It was a world of ink and paper; of cigarettes, coffee and strong drink. Our distinguished critic George Steiner used to submit his copy in annotated typescript."

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We once had the pleasure of meeting Ian McEwan, the ever-more popular author of Atonement. (For the record, he Culture Czar will always favor his creepy classic, Enduring Love. A hot air balloon was never so memorable!) Mr. McEwan struck us as outrageously smart and outspoken (he’s been a staunch critic of the war on terror); he also had that impeccable grace the English seem to come by so easily. So perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Mr. McEwan hates what you’re reading right now: blogs.  read more »

Joe Wright’s Atonement, from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on the novel by Ian McEwan, transforms a misguided adolescent error of judgment with tragic consequences into an ironic epic of a heroic period in British history. This serves to illuminate how helpless we all are when we try to swim against the current of global forces, not to mention the inexorable tide of time itself. This film is also one of the most successful adaptations of a distinguished novel I have ever seen. It gives me renewed faith that good and great movies can still be made even under the present chaotic conditions in the world’s film industries, and in the proliferation of technological substitutes for old-fashioned habitual moviegoing.

I must confess at this point that, try as I may, I cannot explain why Atonement is so good without giving away its convoluted trick plot. So those of my readers who have either not read the book or read or heard anything about the twists in the film’s narrative are advised to read no further in this essentially rave review, if they are in the habit of feeling betrayed by the critic’s disclosure of the story’s details.  read more »