The Amis Papers

Martin Locock
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The Amis papers is a podcast reviewing Martin Amis's fiction one book at a time, from the Rachel Papers to Inside Story, and Kingsley Amis's fiction from Lucky Jim to The Biographer's Moustache. The podcast is hosted by Martin Locock, a poet and author, who likes most of the Amis's work.

  1. 3. Juni

    Ep37 S2Ep15 The Alteration (1976)

    Amis's foray into speculative fiction examines an alternative history in which England remains Catholic, the Papacy retains its hegemony, and young Hubert Anvil's soprano voice is so exceptional that his elders and betters propose to preserve it by castration.  His best novel of the 70s depicting life under a religious totalitarian government with at the core an adventure story.   Things mentioned: Philip K Dick The Man in the High Castle (1962) Len Deighton SS GB (1978) Robert Harrris Fatherland (1992) John Salisbury - Kinglsey Amis YouTube playlist  Kingsley Amis on the Russell Harty Show (1975) Audiobook The Alteration

    40 Min.

  2. 7. Mai

    Ep36 S2Ep14 Ending Up (1974)

    Five old people live in Tuppenny Halfpenny Cottage and spend their time dealing with health problems, the prospect of death, and their irritating housemates.  A black comedy which leaves few characters from its aim (apart from what is probably the only positive depiction of an advertsising executive in literature).  Language note: includes a  homophobic slur and racist attitudes 1989 TV adaptation with John Mills and Lionel Jeffries

    19 Min.

  3. 30. Apr.

    Ep35 S2Ep13 The Riverside Villas Murder (1973)

    In 1936, among the residents of the modest houses of Riverside Villas is 14 year old Peter Furneaux, obsessed by model aircraft, jazz and the mysterious world of sex.  Amis builds a murder mystery around an evocation of very particular time, place and social context, taking the opportunity to parody the tropes of the crime novel while drawing heavily on autobiography and taking consequences seriously. Content note: the podcast discusses child sexual abuse and includes ethnic slurs Things mentioned: George Orwell The Decline of the English murder (1946)   R C Sherriff The Fortnight in September (1931) There is a radio dramatisation of the story https://youtu.be/FS2jO7vCZeE?si=ADA3UGJmwKy8YmMM

    32 Min.

  4. 14. Apr.

    Ep34 S2Ep12 Girl, 20 (1971)

    A morality tale set in late 60s London, often praised as a satire of young people these days and their older cheerleaders, but in fact an exploration of Henri de Montherlant's philosophy of the self-sufficient man who only engages with romance as a passing diversion.   Note on sound quality: heavy rain at times. Note on content: includes a discussion of racial slurs Links Henri de Montherlant  The Girls translated by Terrence Kilmartin  De Beauvoir and Montherlant  More about The Girls  Deep Purple Concerto for Group and Orchestra

    41 Min.

  5. 17. März

    Ep33 S2Ep11 The Green Man (1969)

    One of Amis's best novels, worth reading, and worth reading unspoiled.  Maurice Allington, alcoholic and adulterer, runs a country pub near Cambridge abounding in ghosts and the presence of the supernatural entity the Green Man.  In this discussion I highlight Amis's adoption of the M R James approach to writing about ghosts, the dubious antiquity of pub names and the 'green man' sculptural motif, and whether seeing ghosts would prove the existence of the afterlife.  Amis again tries to explain the appeal of womanising, while noting that some womanisers don't seem to like women at all.  Amis writes perceptively about the impacts of alcoholism and infidelity, leading me to define the Kingsley syndrome: “the ability of a novelist to understand and depict the negative consequences of a character’s behaviour without leading to the novelist altering his own behaviour”    The presence of a threesome in the plotline is perhaps surprising when two years earlier David Crobsy thought he was being young and radical in proposing one in 'Triad', confirming that every younger generation thinks they invented sex. I also look at the TV adaptation by Maclolm Bradbury (author of The History Man)  which is perhaps less worthy of your time.  Part 1   Part 2   Part 3

    42 Min.

  6. 15. Feb.

    Ep32 S2Ep10 I Want It Now (1968)

    Amis presents a fairy tale in which a Sleeping Beauty is saved by love, dressed up as a satire of the ultra rich and 1960s talk shows.  Ronnie Appleyard, ambitious and selfish, meets Simona Quick, listless heiress, and struggles to prise her away from the influence of her autocratic mother Lady Baldock, while visiting Greece and the southern United States.  Ronnie finds his usually weakly-held convictions tested by the behaviour of the wealthy and overt racism and he stands up for right against his better interests.   Content note: discussion of sexual assault As a bonus (of sorts)  this episode includes a reading of my long short story, Change and Decay, which examines the murky ethics underlying an aristrocatic family.

    1 Std. 36 Min.

  7. 31. Jan.

    Ep31 S2Ep9 Colonel Sun (1968) and The James Bond Dossier (1965)

    This episode looks at Amis's contributions to the James Bond literature - Colonel Sun, his continuation of the Fleming series, set in the Greek islands, and a critical review of Fleming's work as a whole.  I discuss whether the novel works as a Bond book (yes), whether Amis fans will find much of his usual pleasures (no)  (and on the way manage to get E M Forster's definition of story and plot confused, and examine the theory that Amis was choosing less personal projects at this time because of the turmoil of his private life).  The James Bond Dossier is more interesting, addressing head-on the criticisms levelled at Fleming's work as appealing to male reader's wish fulfilment and full of pornography and sadism, and Amis makes a good case that these are largely unfounded; he is on weaker ground arguing that what the critics really disliked was that Bond was presented as patriotic, uncomplicatedly pro-West and brave.  Amis also slyly uses his defence of genre writing to implicitly argue that popular literature deserved more respect than polite literature. Sources mentioned Dear Philip, Dear Kingsley- The Letters between Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin  (Radio play)  Amis, Amis & Bond  Radio documentary

    44 Min.

  8. 20. Jan.

    Ep30 S2E8 The Anti-Death League (1966)

    A change in approach, with a sort-of thriller in the near future, following an experimental army unit preparing to use a secret and terrible weapon.  But much of the story is about love, and Amis abandons irony while exploring whether the existence of God can be reconciled with the existence of suffering.   References R D Laing The Divided Self (1961) John Robinson Honest to God (1963) Dylan Thomas "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, By Fire, of a Child in London" Father Ted "That would be an ecumenical matter" Wee Gwen (British Tactical Nuclear weapon)

    40 Min.
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Info

The Amis papers is a podcast reviewing Martin Amis's fiction one book at a time, from the Rachel Papers to Inside Story, and Kingsley Amis's fiction from Lucky Jim to The Biographer's Moustache. The podcast is hosted by Martin Locock, a poet and author, who likes most of the Amis's work.

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  • Erstellt von
    Martin Locock
  • Jahre aktiv
    2023 - 2026
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    37
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    © Copyright Martin Locock
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