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. JAN 31

    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

  2. JAN 20

    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

  3. JAN 12

    Ep29 S2E7 The Egyptologists (1965)

    What is the Metropolitan Egyptological Society and why does it discourage public and media enquiries? It is impossible to answer this question without spoilers so I've included a warning at the point where all is revealed.  I discuss the co-author Robert Conquest, how the protagonists got stuck in unfulfilling marriages, whether womanisers like women as much as they claim to, the surprising availability of would-be mistresses, and what George Orwell reads into Donald McGill's seaside postcards.   References Robert Conquest: The Great Terror The New Oxford Book of Light Verse (1978) edited by Kingsley Amis George Orwell The art of Donald McGill E Buckland The World of Donald McGill   2006 interview with Hilly Kilmarnock

    24 min

  4. 12/29/2025

    Ep28 S2E6 One Fat Englishman (1963)

    The adventures, mainly amorous, of Roger Micheldene, soaked in sin, fat, rude, and angry, in suburban America, as he tries to persuade Helene Bangs to leave her husband for him.  Many readers mistake the target for the satire: it is Micheldene and the society that produced him that Amis is critiquing, although he does share some of his prejudices (especially about literature).  The discussion muses on the improbable social and sexual success of Micheldene despite his lack of redeeming behaviour, parallels with the author's own life, and Amis's atheism and attitude to Christianity. Content note: quotations with the f word Links David Lodge review

    47 min

  5. 12/17/2025

    Ep27 S2E5 Take A Girl Like You (1960)

    Kingsley Amis's longest, and some say his best, novel, recounts the tortuous relationship of innocent Jenny Bunn and lascivious Patrick Standish as they negotiate societal mores and personal boundaries in a pre-Pill world.  In this episode I explore the source and meaning of the epigraph "Go, gentle maid, go lead the apes in hell", whether the book can be read as an indictment of the male gaze, what the old website Hot Or Not tells us about Pretty Privilege, what Amis means when a character says that they are too busy trying to not be a nasty man to worry about being a bad man, and similarities with the plot of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa.   Content note: discussion of sexual assault and consent References: Song of the Wanderer by Harry James Word Histories: Meaning and origin of 'to lead apes in hell' Ernest Kuhl "Shakspere's "Lead Apes in Hell" and the Ballad of "The Maid and the Palmer"  John Davies of Hereford "A Contention betwixt a wife, a widow and a maid" Philip Larkin reads his poem "Lines on a young lady's photograph album" Take a Girl Like You (1970 film) Take a Girl Like You (2000 series) Part 1   Part 2  Part 3

    55 min

  6. 12/02/2025

    Ep26 S2E4 I Like It Here (1958)

    Amis complains about going abroad and foreigners (and expats) while his main ire is aimed at the literature tradition of English writers imbuing Mediterranean cultures with a deep understanding inaccessible to those without the means to travel.  Amis's least favourite novel, based largely on his own experiences when the family spent 3 months in Portugal as a conidtion of Lucky Jim winning the Somerset Maugham first novel prize.  His satire is aimed at a style of writing that doesn't really exist any more, leaving the pleasures of the book fleeting and inconsequential.

    38 min

  7. 11/23/2025

    Ep25 S2E3 That Uncertain Feeling (1956)

    The tale of 'Unlucky John', trapped in an unsatisfying job and home life in Swansea, offered an escape route through an affair with a bored wife and her hard-partying friends.  In this episode I discuss the parallels with Amis's own life, whether anxiety about mortality is a plausible excuse for infidelity, and why farce requires sympathy with the protagonist to be funny.   Language note: I include a quote from the book that uses the term 'f****t'  - this isn't used as a gay slur.

    41 min

  8. 11/12/2025

    Ep24 S2Ep2 Lucky Jim (1954)

    A detailed look at Kingsley Amis’s first published novel, covering the role of luck, whether as an Angry Young Man he wants systematic change or just a better place for himself, and the characteristic KA internal monologue reflecting moral ambiguity and confusion as a new form of expression.  Also discussed are the song from which the title derives, the long shadow of military service, whether relationships at the time included sex, a comparison of Christine with Rachel in The Rachel Papers, and whether Amis’s view of universities and the value of research are consistent or well-founded.    Content note: discussion of suicide  Links  Oh Lucky Jim! song Angry Young Men Newport medieval ship

    1h 12m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Martin Locock
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Martin Locock
  • Show Website
    The Amis Papers

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