There's a taste in the air, sweet and vaguely antiseptic, that reminds him of his teenage years in these streets, and of a general state of longing, a hunger for life to begin that from this distance seems like happiness.
Ian McewanMost of humanity gets by without reading novels or poetry, and no one would deny the richness of their thoughts.
Ian McewanThe trouble with being a daydreamer who doesnโt say much is that the teachers at school, especially those who donโt know you very well, are likely to think youโre rather stupid. Or, if not stupid, then dull. No one can see the amazing things that are going on in your head.
Ian McewanI'm not against religion in the sense that I feel I can't tolerate it, but I think written into the rubric of religion is the certainty of its own truth. And since there are 6,000 religions currently on the face of the earth, they can't all be right. And only the secular spirit can guarantee those freedoms and it's the secular spirit that they contest.
Ian Mcewan