 Chris/John McCabe in Chennai
 The British Council and ITC Park Sheraton present Chris/John McCabe, scientist by day and novelist by night, in an exclusive event on Monday, October 17, 2005, 7 p.m. at Arcot, ITC Park Sheraton, Adyar, Chennai.
With five books in six years, it is undoubtedly an enviable track record for any writer, leave alone a scientist who juggles his scientific career with his writing ambitions. McCabe will read from his books and will discuss his dual lives with Sashi Kumar, chairman, Asian College of Journalism.
McCabe will also present a public lecture titled 'Scientific and Unscientific English' on the same day, from 4 to 5.30 p.m. at the Central Lecture Theatre, IIT Madras.
The talk will take real examples of published scientific writing and attempt to translate them into exciting prose. Conversely, he will take portions from classic literary texts and translate them into scientific language. McCabe will examine sections of classic scientific writing, to see which rules of the English language are common to both science and literature.
The talk, organised in association with IIT Madras as part of their extra mural lecture series, will be of particular interest to engineering or science students, researchers, faculty, mediapersons and the general public.
Scientist and novelist, McCabe has recently been awarded a Dream Time Award by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, to explore scientific writing and the lessons it can teach us about writing literature. By day Dr Chris McCabe heads a group of scientists researching the causes of endocrine cancer. He has published numerous scientific papers and articles, and has lectured widely. By night, as John McCabe, he writes thrillers, and has been hailed as "one of the ten men making the novel worth reading again" (Arena Magazine), with his writing described as "original, entertaining and compelling" (The Times).
He says, "Scientific writing is an art in its own right. To describe a series of experiments is to tell a story. Novels share this attribute. The key lies in presenting the reader with a work that appears joined and chronological, even if the process which created it was anything but. It is this - the overlap between science and literature - that I explore".
"I want to explore notions of science and art within the boundary of a gripping read. And I want to encourage others at the poles of science and literature to learn from each other."
Chris McCabe is using his NESTA Dream Time Award to develop a new way of writing, using the skills he has acquired during his career in science.
His writing record - five books in six years, all published by well-known publishing houses and all critically acclaimed - is one of which any full-time novelist would be proud. But for Chris the achievement is even more impressive, given that he squeezes in writing between his demanding scientific career and his role as a father of two young children.
Now the NESTA Dream Time Fellowship is buying him the time to concentrate on his writing, and to experiment. He says: "Until now, my endeavours have existed without overlap. Science encourages a precision of writing that has been deliberately absent from my first five books. I have written light, comedic, modern fiction. Now I want to amalgamate my skills in scientific writing with my literary ability".
Despite the critical acclaim, Chris feels his writing to date has shied away from bigger questions in deference to outright entertainment. "It was quite deliberate. The anarchy and chaos of my evening writing proved the perfect antidote to a day of precise scientific thinking."
Taking experimentation home
Now the Birmingham University lecturer and authority on endocrine cancer is keen to try a very different experiment. He says: "My dream is to produce literature which is every bit as disciplined as my scientific writing. Scientific writing is an art in its own right. Scientists have to describe a complex series of experimental events in an ordered, structured and accessible format. To describe an interlinked series of investigations is to tell a story. Science rarely moves in straight lines - we must take chaos and give it order.
"Novels share this dynamic. The art lies in presenting the reader with a work that appears joined and chronological, even if the process which created it was anything but. It is this - the mechanics of coherency and lucidity - that I wish to dissect, explore and extrapolate."
As well as developing a new personal writing style, Chris wants to offer hope to scientists yearning for artistic endeavour, and to artistes longing to fulfil their curiosity about science.
He has attempted this once before, in his second novel, 'Paper', which was praised for its insights into the often closed world of science. The Big Issue said: "McCabe has accomplished the difficult, if not impossible - he’s made science exciting."
But Chris himself says: "Although scientists love this book, I know I have only taken a small sip of a large drink."
Writing anew
Throughout his Dream Time, Chris will focus on writing one novel. He says: "I want to develop a distinctive style which promotes clear, sharp storytelling. At the same time, I want to explore notions of science and art within the boundary of a gripping read."
"I want to discuss science through literature. But I don’t intend to sacrifice thrills for theory. My output will aim to be thrilling and entertaining. My ultimate aim is to develop as a writer and encourage others at the poles of science and literature to learn from each other."
For more information on the author, log on to
http://www.nesta.org.uk/ourawardees/profiles/3940/index.html
|
