Although I'm the one responsible for that quote, I haven't read anything by McEwan. Any particular recommendations?
Escaping the character with \ works.
Like so: [Amsterdam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_(novel\)) -> Amsterdam)
Some relevant articles:
Ah, I agree with this; I enjoy very few authors in his genre but I have enjoyed his books.
(For other "literary fiction" I also enjoy Richard Powers, whose research into the lives and professions of his characters seems to me to be very realistic and not shallow; he tries very hard to get the details of the reality correct so he can insert the interesting bit that makes it worth telling as a novel.)
The profile certainly sounds interesting; if I see one of his recent novels, I think I'll give him a try, although I wonder if Tim Powers* is not a better mainstream rationalist author?
* Double-checking, I see Powers is classified as a SF/F author, so I guess he's not a good comparison after all.
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