People continue to imitate his comic technique. This puts the novelist in the pantheon of England’s funniest writers
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskHis oeuvre is varied. He excelled in many forms—campus novels to murder mysteries, grammar guides to historical counterfactuals. Nearly all his more than 30 books are laugh-out-loud funny.
Sociability was also key to his commercial success. Though his years as a student at Oxford had disappointments—an unpublished novel and a postgraduate thesis flopped—he gained something more useful: friendship. His most important was with Philip Larkin, already a published novelist and a gifted poet. They exchanged ideas in intimate, jokey correspondence; Larkin advised Amis on his second go at fiction, which would become “Lucky Jim”.
His irreverence was as captivating as his humour. A morally questionable hero, Jim is callous to his girlfriend, exploits his friends and disdains his elders. “She permanently resembled a horse,” he thinks of a professor’s wife, “he only when he laughed.” He did little to hide his inspiration. The fuddy-duddy in the story was recognisably modelled on his father-in-law. It was one of the first novels to tap into the youthful rebelliousness that came to define much of post-war culture in the West.
As he approached 60 in the late 1970s, his comforts fell away. Howard moved out with a stinging note: “You are not going to stop drinking and I cannot live with the consequences.” Heartache and a bid to quit smoking made him put on weight. The famous libido evaporated. Evenings became lonely. His son, Martin Amis, by then an established novelist too, set up a “dad-sitting” rota.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The green is vibrant in the quiet before full colour arrives | Allan JenkinsWitness the rampant spread of grasses, herbs, even weeds, coloured like Robin Hood in comics
Read more »
Robert Morse: Tony-winning comic and Mad Men actorAs well as being a Broadway sensation, Morse delighted TV viewers as the eccentric advertising executive Bert Cooper on ‘Mad Men’
Read more »
The very best Batman toys for your mini superheroWhether your child’s favourite comic book character is Batman, Robin or Batgirl, we’ve found the best Batman toys for toddlers.
Read more »
These Spot-on Comics Flip The Script On Parenting Double StandardsWhen you turn these parenting statements on their head, you realise just how ridiculous they are.
Read more »