The Novel that Unravels Democracy

<p>David talks to Ian McEwan about Italo Calvino’s <em>The Watcher</em> (1963), one of the greatest of all works of political fiction. Challenging, disturbing, redemptive: this is a book about who gets to count and who doesn’t, and what identity politics really means. David and Ian also discuss how political fiction works - and why the climate change novel is so hard to write. Plus they argue about whether children should be allowed to vote. </p><p>Next week: Helen Thompson on <em>Dallas</em> and the end of oil.</p><br><p>Ian McEwan’s latest novel is <a href="https://www.ianmcewan.com/books/lessons.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Lessons</em></a>, available now.</p><p>To read more about Calvino, here is a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/06/the-worlds-of-italo-calvino" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent appreciation of his later writings in the <em>New Yorker.</em></a></p><p>On the children’s focus groups, here is <a href="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/publications/do-children-want-the-vote/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the report</a>. </p><p>For more links and info about future episodes, follow Past Present Future on Twitter @PPFIdeas</p><p>Past Present Future is brought to you in partnership with the London Review of Books.</p><br><p>Sign up to LRB Close Readings:</p><p>Directly in Apple: <a href="https://lrb.me/ppfapplesignup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3pJoFPq</a></p><p>In other podcast apps: <a href="https://lrb.me/ppfsignup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lrb.supportingcast.fm</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Past Present Future · David Runciman