A novel approach to humanity

"We will have the opportunity to see ourselves through the eyes of others who we ourselves created," he says. "A great adventure-benign or horrific-will begin."

During his weeklong visit to China, McEwan met with reporters, Chinese writers and readers, first in Beijing and then in Shanghai, to answer their questions about him and his writing.

People are particularly interested in his opinions about the future of the novel and novelists in the era of the internet and at a time when highly developed social media platforms are constantly overloaded with almost unimaginable stories from real life.

In Beijing, Chinese writer Li Er asked whether he believes novels' function to reflect reality and reveal truth is crippled or strengthened by social media.

In Shanghai, writer and editor Huang Yuning asked about his thoughts on the idea that "reality is far more dramatic than fiction".

McEwan says the explosion of information offers a kind of opportunity for novelists rather than weakens them.