Renowned author Martin Amis, whose influential novels captured the spirit of an era, has sadly passed away at the age of 73. His wife, Isabel Fonseca, confirmed that Amis died at his home in Lake Worth, Florida, after battling cancer.
Martin passed on May 19th, 2023.
Martin was known for his era-defining novels such as Money and London Fields, as well as his memoir Experience.
Martin was the son of renowned writer Kingsley Amis. He grew up in a literary household, which led to him becoming a writer. He received his education at various schools in Britain, Spain, and the United States before attending Exeter College, Oxford. In 1971, he graduated with first-class honors in English.
Amis’s literary journey began in the early 1970s when he worked as an editorial assistant. During this time, he completed his first novel, The Rachel Papers, which was published in 1973. The book received critical acclaim and won the Somerset Maugham Award, establishing Amis as a promising young talent in the literary world.
Amis also ventured out of the fictional world, with non-fiction books and also various essay collections.
In 2010, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award at the British Book Awards. Time’s Arrow was nominated for the Booker Prize in 1991 in the Best Fiction book category. The Zone of Interest was nominated for the Walter Scott Prize, Best Historical Fiction Novel, in 2015.
The news of Amis’s passing has left a void in the literary world. Vintage Books, his long-time publisher, expressed profound sadness, highlighting his impact on literature and his fearlessness in tackling significant issues.