Įxcerpts 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. 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". Christopher Hitchens, a friend of McEwan's, noted how Perowne's wife, parents and children are the same as the writer's. 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. Saturday was also proof-read by McEwan's longstanding circle of friends who review his manuscripts, Timothy Garton Ash, Craig Raine, and Galen Strawson. He also had several medical doctors and surgeons review the book for accuracy, though few corrections were required to the surgical description. 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". 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. McEwan has discussed that he prefers to alternate between writing about the past and the present. Saturday is McEwan's ninth novel, published between Atonement and On Chesil Beach, two works of historical fiction. It has been translated into eight languages. It won the 2005 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Critics noted McEwan's elegant prose, careful dissection of daily life, and interwoven themes. 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.
Though intelligent and well read, Perowne feels he has little influence over political events. The main character, though outwardly successful, still struggles to understand meaning in his life, exploring personal satisfaction in the post-modern, developed world. The novel explores one's engagement with the modern world and the meaning of existence in it.
To understand his character's world-view, McEwan spent time with a neurosurgeon. 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. The protagonist, Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, has planned a series of errands and pleasures, culminating in a family dinner in the evening. It is set in Fitzrovia, central London, on Saturday, 15 February 2003, as a large demonstration is taking place against the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. Saturday (2005) is a novel by Ian McEwan.
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