I literally finished reading this novel the day he died.

Amis was the real deal. Even if I didn't think all the characters or plots he created worked, on almost every page he wrote there would be something that truly sparkled. A rare talent.

36 seconds into the upload and i get to start my day with this. NICE

Love Amis so much. London Fields is great and The Information is one of the wittiest and laugh-out-loud funniest books I've ever read. Times Arrow is brilliant yet horrifying. Amis' death made me very sad.

Never thought we’d get a SpongeBob joke out of Cliff

He’s no more??! I had no idea man! I am actually scared now. Martin Amis, Cormac McCarthy… I hope death can take a long break now before it takes any more of our great authors

RIP. Great explanation!! "Future is getting small and past is getting better" one of best punch line from Amis!!

Great descriptions, Cliff. Love Amis and will miss him.

Great review. Gonna add this to my list of books to read!

Omit words! the key to good writing - as few words as possible, but no fewer. less! less! Money is brilliant - the best line is about John Self's inability to master the NYC subway system.

I read my first Martin Amis only last week, and this is now on my to-get-to pile. Thank you for this, the world of literature was definitely a more interesting place when it had him around. RIP His collected non-fiction is also definitely worth checking out.

Probably wouldn't have known of this guy or many great writers without christopher hitchens

@BooksForever

Жыл бұрын

Hitchens, with his circle of friends as well as his literary recommendations, has certainly contributed profoundly to the filling of my bookshelves.

@rishabhaniket1952

Жыл бұрын

Believe it or not but Amis was the famous celebrity author of the 80s and 90s while Hitchens was his vaguely known journalist friend. It was on Amis’s recommendation that Hitch was hired by Vanity Fair where he found his own voice and reputation. Of course with the advent of KZread and the atheist movement Hitch exploded and his own fame superseded that of his literary friends like Amis, McEwan, Fenton etc.

Great review! I bought “The Zone of Interest” some time ago and I think I’m going to start reading that in anticipation of the Glazer movie. I’ve also heard great things about “London Fields”. A recommendation i have for you is the Romanian classic “The Rakes of Old-Court” by Mateiu Caragiale. It’s a short novel about the decadence and depravity of fin-de-siecle Bucharest written in a superb style.

Found out Amis passed away after placing an order of Time's Arrow. Love him

great review, thanks!

finaly!!!! amazing i wanted this book review so bad!!!! msut be my lucky day

Amis aspired to be a style master (see: Nabokov) which I think he pretty much succeed at. He had a sharp wit and style which I enjoyed reading. However, I sometimes wondered what he was actually trying to say. RIP.

Great review! Amis is one of a kind.

My favourite Martin Amis novel. Thanks to Martin Amis's non-fiction, I discovered John Updike and realised how much he had influenced Amis.

Hey Cliff! Since you mentioned your directing experience, do you have any updates on Story of the Eye? I would love to see you adapt it properly!

4:00 that is a pretty darn good mr. Krabs

Wonderful hysterical novel. I read it a long time ago laughing on the train to uni every morning. It stands the test of time. The Fiat Iago always makes me smile. Try London Fields…

I thought I recognised his surname. His dad also wrote "The Green Man" which I read a few years ago.

Now I'm interested in watching your shorts...

by the way i forgot: did you already do a review on Jonathan Littell´s "The Kindly Ones"?

Money was decent, but it wasn't as sharp as London Fields. I'd recommend trying it after this one is a good distance in your rear-view mirror. Better than food, and most other things, for that matter.

@demeritfc3655

Жыл бұрын

I found London fields a bit boring tbh

Totally missed that he died. Such a shame. Guys like Amis and Hitchens died far to early. Both were personified eloquence. Love all of Amis books, especially The Zone of Interest. RIP

I read London Fields years ago and, except for the creepy "dead cloud" thing, it did pretty much nothing for me. I'll have to give him another shot some time.

"the bouts of drinking and fast-food binging become ridiculously monotonous' - Why does this sentence apply to so much of literary fiction?

Finished reading it today. Very eerie random insights about cultural degeneracy that was mostly at the top 40+ years ago, but has trickled down into the mainstream of society today.

I really liked that bit you read of the book, but I would get exhausted of all the eating and other indulgence too, so maybe I will try something else by Amis at some point. I have been thinking that maybe Amis' style is too wordy, but it seems it is not. Will Self is wordy. I like him as a speaker, but I don't like his style of writing.

I've read most of the books by Amis and I would strongly recommend 'London Fields,' I think that is generally considered his best book. The zany-ness is kept to a minimum and I feel it is the one where you can feel the sharpest application of his wit and irony. I have a harder time with his father, Kingsley, however, 'Lucky Jim' is quite good. There is an excellent BBC biography on Kingsley Amis. At the end of part one he goes to his childhood library and finds his own novels, and says, "they also have some of my son Martin's, but, they're all out. (The bit at the beginning with him shaving is really worth seeing.) kzread.info/dash/bejne/aoGMr7ieccXegso.html

Hi 👋

Arthur Shelby! 🥃

Fielding Goodney *oof* NYC in the 1980s is a fertile ground for snarky satire...it gave us 45, after all...

What’s the Amis book that’s famous?

@grimbroom83

Жыл бұрын

My recommendation is London Fields.

@rovert46

Жыл бұрын

Time’s Arrow is excellent.

Johnny Depp has turned into John Self.

You uploaded this on the anniversary of the day Farah Fawcett died. That's super weird, or is it not?

Try "Assisted Living" by Nikanor Teratologen. A swedish cult-classic in the spirit of our revered teacher de Sade. Nordic grampa will give Judge Holden a challenge in deplorable life style and philosophy.

@octamedicin

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I think this is right up Cliff’s alley. Maybe I should send him a copy…

I'm fifty pages in and I have had to fight my way through every word. Most of the time I have no idea what Amis (or Self) is talking about. Like you say the main character is very off-putting. Possibly it gets better. I have had very bad luck with books lately. Whether it's Gore Vidal, Cormac McCarthy, or Tom Robbins I just don't know what any of them are talking about and have not enjoyed the books. Maybe I need to try easier books.

@barneyh7014

11 ай бұрын

I sometimes find that if you just ignore the lack of understanding. Instead just plowing through, that the jigsaws may fall into place by the end. This doesn’t always work but sometimes it does. Then, if you want you can go back and re read it might be much easier/more enjoyable to read.

@gardendormouse6479

6 ай бұрын

Are you young, like under age 25? You might miss some of the cultural references, if you're very young. Maybe you're right, try easier books. Do you like sci fi? Try Brave New World, or 1984.

...good guess! did someone tell? from the "script"! just kidding , but a free hint in codicil: if you want more way more subs as i assume go to ( like you yourself blocked in the opening) and do the pod in a cafe nearby with all the noise and shabang around you as a sign of activity by the living for all we do strive for is the understanding of the audience...

Like music, literature is literally dying.

Great book, awful film. So bad it's worth a watch just for the unintentional laughs.

'Promo SM'

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Money', I found its satirical wit brilliant and the commentary on that side of showbiz, amusing, and very well written. It pumped iron. I did not enjoy 'The Map and the Territory' at all. I found Houellebecq's destination plot was his ego. An island unto itself. Cliff, do you know that 'Ulysses' is read online via Sweny's Pharmacy (Dublin) which is an apothecary which features in Joyce's masterpiece. (Lemon Soap. Bloom.) They have drop in reading sessions too. Well worth a visit for the readings. Honestly. Love your reviews. They're good fun and self-effacing. Ta. N

Have you read anything by Will Self? He was a friend of Amis & in my opinion an important writer. Arguably one of the finest living writers.