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Assignment Robot
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The Martin Amis gossip will go away. His work won'tThe mischief he gets up to on the page is the really fascinating thing about him Me-ism in the right hands ... Martin Amis. Photograph: Xavier Bertral/EPA At Jonathan Cape's launch party for Martin Amis's autobiography Experience (he'd had some 50 years' worth of it then – everything has come early for Martin) his editor prophesied that this was "a book which would be read in 200 years time". Just like Ben Jonson said of Shakespeare. Brave words, even with a bellyful of dry sherry. Will Amis Jr "last"? Time, as Orwell said, is the only critic whose opinion matters. I (sherrylessly) prophesy that a couple of books of Amis's will be in the electronic Oxford Companion in 2209, and – less palpably – his voice, that unmistakable "Amism" – will have left a lasting, tonal, impression on British fiction. One other thing can be prophesied with even greater confidence: our distant descendants will not give a toss about who shaggy young Martin shagged in the 1980s – much as it seems to preoccupy us nowadays, as the man himself enters the Viagra years. Amis is our grand master of "I narration". Henry James, fiction's great legislator, distrusted these fictional ego displays View Complete Guardian Blog
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sulcus
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Martin Amis, unlike his Father, has nothing in his work to recommend itself to literary posterity. Have you read London Fields ? If you want to read about, sneer at and look down at a dart playing member of the late 20th Century working classes, may i suggest Will Self's "The Book Of Dave" At least that contained humour. Amis Jnr was too busy playing tennis with Julian Barnes to much concern himself with researching that which he portrayed in cliche. Rachel Papers - satire of the Thatcherite 80's, that hasn't lasted in the public consciousness beyond John Mayor's regime ... Amis' "I" narrative voice is always soulless and he cannot write emotion. "Time's Arrow" - a conceit, one done before of time flowing backwards (death reversed into birth straight into old age etc) and has nothing else going on in it at all. Despite the weight of its subject matter, the Holocaust. Simplistic. Adds nothing to the debate. I'm told "The Information" is very good, but I'd long given up with him before then I'm afraid. Apart from Jeanette Winterson, can anyone name me a Literary British author from the last 20 years of merit ? Someone with more than 3 books to their name since there are some promising up and comers ...
This post was last edited by sulcus, 03 Jun 2009, 17:04
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
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Cinnamon
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Quote: sulcus, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 17:03Martin Amis, unlike his Father, has nothing in his work to recommend itself to literary posterity. Have you read London Fields ? If you want to read about, sneer at and look down at a dart playing member of the late 20th Century working classes, may i suggest Will Self's "The Book Of Dave" At least that contained humour. Amis Jnr was too busy playing tennis with Julian Barnes to much concern himself with researching that which he portrayed in cliche. Rachel Papers - satire of the Thatcherite 80's, that hasn't lasted in the public consciousness beyond John Mayor's regime ... Amis' "I" narrative voice is always soulless and he cannot write emotion. "Time's Arrow" - a conceit, one done before of time flowing backwards (death reversed into birth straight into old age etc) and has nothing else going on in it at all. Despite the weight of its subject matter, the Holocaust. Simplistic. Adds nothing to the debate. I'm told "The Information" is very good, but I'd long given up with him before then I'm afraid. Apart from Jeanette Winterson, can anyone name me a Literary British author from the last 20 years of merit ? Someone with more than 3 books to their name since there are some promising up and comers ... Kazuo Ishiguro?
E-asy Peasy?
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sulcus
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Quote: Cinnamon, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 18:03Quote: sulcus, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 17:03Kazuo Ishiguro? Not to my personal taste, but a good call nonetheless. Interestingly another British author who is quite cold and not given to great emotionality in his writing.
This post was last edited by sulcus, 03 Jun 2009, 18:46
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
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Clairann
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Hi Sulcus / Cinnamon, I agree about Ishiguro - a brilliant writer. 'The Remains of the Day' is one of my favourite novels, precisely because of the way its central character lacks emotion and is totally repressed. It's desperately sad, because he can't express his true feelings and spends his life regretting this. There's loads of good stuff going on between the lines (unfulfilled love, collapse of the aristocracy, fascism etc) and he is unable to speak out or act on it. A great read if you like a bit of angst and repression!
www.clairhumphries.com
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Cinnamon
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Quote: Clairann, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 19:58Hi Sulcus / Cinnamon, I agree about Ishiguro - a brilliant writer. 'The Remains of the Day' is one of my favourite novels, precisely because of the way its central character lacks emotion and is totally repressed. It's desperately sad, because he can't express his true feelings and spends his life regretting this. There's loads of good stuff going on between the lines (unfulfilled love, collapse of the aristocracy, fascism etc) and he is unable to speak out or act on it. A great read if you like a bit of angst and repression! It's brilliant, isn't it? Heartbreaking but brilliant.
E-asy Peasy?
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sulcus
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Quote: Cinnamon, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 20:08Quote: Clairann, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 19:58Hi Sulcus / Cinnamon, I agree about Ishiguro - a brilliant writer. 'The Remains of the Day' is one of my favourite novels, precisely because of the way its central character lacks emotion and is totally repressed. It's desperately sad, because he can't express his true feelings and spends his life regretting this. There's loads of good stuff going on between the lines (unfulfilled love, collapse of the aristocracy, fascism etc) and he is unable to speak out or act on it. A great read if you like a bit of angst and repression! It's brilliant, isn't it? Heartbreaking but brilliant. A bit too class-based for my tastes (not terribly interested in the upper classes and their servants from a bygone era)> But like I say, I acknowledge his abilities
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
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MLT
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Quote: Cinnamon, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 18:03Quote: sulcus, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 17:03Apart from Jeanette Winterson, can anyone name me a Literary British author from the last 20 years of merit ? Someone with more than 3 books to their name since there are some promising up and comers ... Kazuo Ishiguro? Would you accept Penelope Lively and A.S. Byatt?
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sulcus
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Quote: MLT, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 21:39Quote: Cinnamon, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 18:03Quote: sulcus, Wednesday, 3 Jun 2009 17:03Apart from Jeanette Winterson, can anyone name me a Literary British author from the last 20 years of merit ? Someone with more than 3 books to their name since there are some promising up and comers ... Kazuo Ishiguro? Would you accept Penelope Lively and A.S. Byatt? Haven't read Lively I'm afraid. Byatt do you not find a bit too locked into academia ? What I love about winterson is her lyricism and the desire and passion that oozes from the page. Most unenglish !
This post was last edited by sulcus, 03 Jun 2009, 22:25
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
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awrigley
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I like Martin Amis' essays and reviews. His novels are rubbish.
Memory... What was that?
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The Martin Amis gossip
03 Jun 2009, 15:27
