My mother-in-law, Eunice Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, and my father-in-law, Sargent Shriver, who founded Job Corps and was the first director of the Peace Corps.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What does love feel like?
Relationships
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Angela Merkel. Under attack from all sides, she tries to keep alive the dreams of a tolerant, inclusive, open society.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 August 2018 source ↗
Others on this question
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Martin Sheen
American actor
My wife Janet: she is the most scrupulously honest human being I have ever encountered.
Billy Ocean
British singer
He passed away a few months ago: Muhammad Ali.
Robert Carlyle
Scottish actor
I'm a great admirer of Tony Benn -he's one of the few politicians who speaks his mind.
More from Ian McEwan
View profile →In my mid- to late-20s, in London, beginning to publish, living hand to mouth, having fun. Also now, when love and life and work have finally cohered.
Having a gun held to my head at a May Day rally during the revolution in Grenada. I was mistaken for a CIA agent.
Exhilarating. I’ve been extremely lucky in that the person I love, Annalena, happens to be my wife.
To have grown up with my siblings. They were at least 10 years older than me.
The BBC World Service followed by the dawn chorus.
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