KEY POINTS:
Random House publishers welcomed celebrated author Ian McEwan back to New Zealand after almost 20 years with an evening of Cocktails and Conversation, held on Monday at the Maritime Museum's elegant and expansive Maritime Room.
The British author read a piece of non-fiction based loosely around the topic of climate change, clearly one dear to his heart. He has headed off to go tramping in Abel Tasman National Park. (On his 1990 visit he conquered several tracks around the Coromandel.) McEwan's novel Atonement was made into the celebrated flick of the same name. His On Chesil Beach was, like our own Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip, edged out for the last Man Booker Prize.
High point: The excitement McEwan's appearance generated, despite the audience being usually cynical literary media reps and booksellers.
Low point: That McEwan, though he said he would have loved to have done a reader event in Auckland, was apparently unable to do so, because of restrictions imposed by the Wellington festival he was flown out for.
