It has been stated that Ian McEwan is one of the most significant British writers since the 1970s. (Dominic Head, 2007). Since publishing a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites in 1976 and his first novel The Cement Garden in 1978 he has gone on to achieve both critical and popular success.
Head, Dominic. Ian McEwan. Manchester University Press, 2007, p. 1.