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''Saturday'' (2005) is a novel by Ian McEwan set in Fitzrovia, London, on Saturday, 15 February 2003, as a large demonstration is taking place against the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. The protagonist, Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, has planned a series of chores and pleasures culminating in a family dinner in the evening. As he goes about his day, he ponders the meaning of the protest and the problems that inspired it; however, the day is disrupted by an encounter with a violent, troubled man. To understand his character's world-view, McEwan spent time with a neurosurgeon. The novel explores one's engagement with the modern world and the meaning of existence in it. The main character, though outwardly successful, still struggles to understand meaning in his life, exploring personal satisfaction in the post-modern, developed world. Though intelligent and well read, Perowne feels he has little influence over political events. The book, published in February 2005 by Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom and in April in the United States, was critically and commercially successful. Critics noted McEwan's elegant prose, careful dissection of daily life, and interwoven themes. It won the 2005 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. It has been translated into eight languages. ==Composition and publication== ''Saturday'' is McEwan's ninth novel, published between ''Atonement'' and ''On Chesil Beach'', two novels of historical fiction. McEwan has discussed that he prefers to alternate between writing about the past and the present.〔" Zalewski, Daniel (Ian McEwan's Art of Unease" ), ''The New Yorker'' (23 February 2009). Retrieved on 2 March 2010〕〔" (The Thinker )" ''The Economist''(subscription access). (3 February 2005.) Retrieved 2 March 2010F〕 While researching the book, McEwan spent two years work-shadowing Neil Kitchen, a neurosurgeon at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London.〔〔Banville, John. (26 May 2005.) "(A Day in the Life )" (subscription access). ''The New York Review of Books'' 52 (9)〕〔McEwan ''Saturday'', 291 (1st American Edition)〕 Kitchen testified that McEwan did not flinch in the theatre, a common first reaction to surgery; "He sat in the corner, with his notebook and pencil".〔 He also had several medical doctors and surgeons review the book for accuracy, though few corrections were required to the surgical description.〔〔 ''Saturday'' was also proof-read by McEwan's longstanding circle of friends who review his manuscripts, Timothy Garton Ash, Craig Raine, and Galen Strawson.〔 There are elements of autobiography in ''Saturday'': the protagonist lives in Fitzroy Square, the same square in London that McEwan does and is physically active in middle age.〔 Christopher Hitchens, a friend of McEwan's, noted how Perowne's wife, parents and children are the same as the writer's.〔Hitchens, Christopher "(Civilisation and its malcontents )". ''The Atlantic''.(April 2005) Retrieved on 4 February 2010.〕 McEwan's son, Greg, who like ''Theo'' played the guitar reasonably well in his youth, emphasized one difference between them, "I definitely don't wear tight black jeans".〔 Excerpts were published in five different literary magazines, including the whole of chapter one in the ''New York Times Book Review'', in late 2004 and early 2005.〔(''Saturday'' page on the author's website ) Retrieved 28 April 2010〕 The complete novel was published by the Jonathan Cape Imprint of Random House Books in February 2005 in London, New York, and Toronto; Dutch, Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Japanese translations followed.〔"(Saturday )". Ian McEwan's Official Website. Retrieved on 11 February 2010〕〔(Random House catalog ) Retrieved 20 April 2010〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Saturday (novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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