Bath: Chivers Audio Books, 2002 (10 cassettes, 12 hrs., 33 mins. Beverly Hills, CA: The Publishing Mills, 2002 (4 cassettes/ 5 CDs, 6 hrs. Prince Fredrick, MD: Recorded Books, 2002 (10 cassettes, 14 hrs., 15 mins. Read the full oral history on the Penguin website. In the centenary year of publisher Jonathan Cape, and 20 years since it appeared in bookshelves, here’s how Atonement happened, according to the people who were there.' - From the introduction by Alice Vincent What resulted was a collision of publishing good fortune – and one of the greatest books of the 21st century. Along the way, McEwan changed the title at the last minute, and the publishing house embarked on one of the largest photoshoots it had undertaken to take a risk on what became its most enduring cover. 'Emerging from the ruins of a disregarded sci-fi short story, Atonement was filed rapidly and in parts, the novel’s crucial final section arriving only after production had already begun.

Here, in the year of its 20th anniversary and publisher Jonathan Cape's centenary, we tell the full story of the book that changed British fiction. From its origins as a sci-fi story to the elaborate creation of its iconic cover, the behind-the-scenes story is no less gripping. 'This novel had everything': An Oral History of Ian McEwan's AtonementĬritical acclaim, record sales and a film starring Keira Knightley made Atonement a publishing phenomenon. 'A beautiful and majestic fictional panorama.' ~ John Updike Visit Vintage

The atonement ian mcewan