Martin Amis

Martin Amis

Martin Amis (Martin Louis Amis) was born on August 25th, 1949. Martin passed away May 19th, 2023 at 73 years old. Martin Amis was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. Amis attended Exeter College, Oxford where he received an English degree.

Martin Amis was an English short story writer, novelist, and essayist. His raw material is what he views as the absurdity of the postmodern condition with its grotesque caricatures. Martin has sometimes been portrayed as the undisputed master of “the new unpleasantness” as a result.

His best known novels make up his “London Trilogy” (Money, London Fields, and The Information). Even though the books share quite little in terms of narrative and plot, they each examine the lives of middle aged men, exploring the post-apocalyptic and debauched undercurrents of life in late 20th century Britain.

His dad said that Martin was not all that bookish as a child and read pretty much nothing but science fiction until he was about 15 or 16. It wasn’t until his stepmom, Elizabeth Jane Howard, introduced him to Jane Austen, whom he would often name as his earliest literary influence.

After graduating from Oxford, he wrote reviews of science fiction novels under the pen name of Henry Tilney (which is a nod to Austen) in this column for The Observer. He found an entry-level job at The Times Literary Supplement by the summer of 1972.

When he was 27, he became the literary editor of the New Statesman, where he cited John Gross (editor and writer) as his role model, and met Christopher Hitchens, who was a feature writer for The Observer at the time, and remained Martin’s closest friend until Hitchens died in 2011.

Kingsley, according to Martin, was critical of certain aspects of his work. He knew the exact point his dad quit reading one novel and sent it twirling into the air. It’s when the Martin Amis character comes in.

Time named him one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. He was given the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Experience and twice was listed for the Booker Prize (1991 for Time’s Arrowand in 2003 for Yellow Dog).

In Experience, one of the most innovative and gifted writers of our time discloses his private life that is every bit as fascinating and unique as all of his bestselling novels.

Martin, the son of Kingsley Amis (the great comic novelist), explores his relationship with his dad and writes all about the various crises of Kingsley’s life. He also examines the legacy and life of Lucy Partington (his cousin), who was abducted and then murdered by one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.

The book also deconstructs the changing literary scene, which includes Amis’ portraits of Allan Bloom, Saul Bellow, Philip Larkin, Salman Rushdie, and Robert Graves, as well as others.

Not since Speak by Nabokov has such an implausible life been recorded by quite the inimitable talent. Witty, profound, and ruthlessly honest, this is a literary event.

Martin Amis: Awards & Accolades

Martin Amis won the British Book Awards, Outstanding Achievement, in 2010.

Martin Amis books have been nominated for multiple awards, Time's Arrow was nominated for the Booker Prize, Best Fiction Book, in 1991. The Zone of Interest was nominated for the Walter Scott Prize, Best Historical Fiction Novel, in 2015.

Martin Amis: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Zone of Interest was a The Sunday Times: 100 21st-Century Novels to Love Selection in 2019.
• Experience has made several lists including:
  1. The Guardian: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Section in 2019.
  2. Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread Selection in 2020.
  3. New York Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years Selection in 2019.
• Money has made several lists including:
  1. The Guardian: 100 Best Novels Written in English Selection in 2015.
  2. The Guardian: 100 Greatest Novels of All Time Selection in 2003 and 2015.
  3. New York Public Library: 125 Books We Love for Adults Selection in 2020.
  4. New York Times: 22 of the Funniest Novels Since Catch-22 Selection in 2024.
  5. The Guardian: 50 Books That Defined Their Era Selection in 2011.
  6. Time Magazine: All-Time 100 Novels Selection in 2005.
  7. The Independent: Books of the Decade (1980s) Selection in 1989.
  8. Entertainment Weekly: The New Classics - 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008 Selection in 2008.
  9. Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Novels Selection in 2013.
• London Fields was an Amazon UK: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014 and a The Telegraph: 100 Novels Everyone Should Read Selection in 2009.
• The Rachel Papers was a People Magazine: Best Books From the 1970s Selection in 2024.
• Time's Arrow was an Esquire: The 80 Books Every Man Should Read Selection in 2015.

Related Authors

Fans of Martin Amis also enjoy these authors:

1. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale Series.
2. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
3. Ken Follett, author of the Kingsbridge Series.
4. Jussi Adler-Olsen, author of the Department Q Series.
5. Dan Brown, author of the Robert Langdon Series.

Martin Amis: F.A.Q