Literature: Ian McEwan interviewed on his new book 'Solar'; Literature: Ian McEwan interviewed on his new book 'Solar'

McEwan interview SOT - There is a novelist onboard who gets truly slapped down by my character for making foolish remarks about science and literature...you take some background and you then sprinkle your own dust over it, make it into whatever you want, this was not reportage - [On friendship with Martin Amis and his views on Islam] View on religions... is that they are thought systems, like any other, they can be disputed in a free society, there was a suggestion that if one took exception to certain bits of Islam as Martin was doing, that he was a racist, that seems to me to be a poisonous idea...we live in a plural and open secular society, want religions to tolerate each other and tolerate atheists, atheists must tolerate the faithful, but we should engage...living in the world of ideas - I have said things about Islamism...nasty things appear in blogs, threatening things, that is unpleasant, maybe there are ways free expression somewhat tampered with... - [On politics] One of the huge surprises has been the erosion of the lead of the Tories, I wonder if the nation rather liked the idea that Gordon Brown was a bit of a bully, wish to have a strong guy, I wouldn't mind a hung parliament, it might do something for our politics, spread the load... He (David Cameron) was photographed reading one of my books, I should be careful what I say, I think the jury is out...I don't know whether he has got wide enough shoulders to bear load of office yet...have yet to be convinced - Miss him (Michael Beard) already, good to have a slob at centre of one's fiction...doesn't have to be nice about other people