Novelist Martin Amis Has Died

[TheIronMonkey]

I’ve just learned that one of my favourite authors, Martin Amis, has died of esophageal cancer, at age 73. I’m truly bummed to learn this. We weren’t quite friends, but very good acquaintances through my collecting his work in-depth for over thirty years (I have one of the largest in-depth collections of his work out there). He once borrowed a book from my collection because he didn’t have a copy of his story, “Heavy Water,” and used my copy to make notes and revise it for his short story collection, Heavy Water. He returned the book to me a year and a half after borrowing it, with cigarette burns and bits of tobacco between the pages. I’ll always treasure it.

Martin, I will miss you.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Yeah, sad news indeed. That book you have is a real treasure and it must have been awesome to know the great man personally.

There's some brilliant pictures of Martin with his friend Christopher Hitchens. Sadly, both are no longer with us.

 

[jaingorenard]

Sorry for your loss, it must have been amazing to know him personally. In interviews he always came across as exceptionally thoughtful and witty. A great author, I was really sad to see this. His novel London Fields had a huge impact on me, the sense of an unnamed impending doom was brilliantly created. I read it on a hot summer in London (not far from London Fields) and it really affected me. I'm about halfway through Inside Story currently.

Great photos of him and the Hitch, sad that they both died from the same cause.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Yeah, sad news indeed. That book you have is a real treasure and it must have been awesome to know the great man personally.

There's some brilliant pictures of Martin with his friend Christopher Hitchens. Sadly, both are no longer with us.

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It was a privilege to have been able to interact with him over the many years. In the early 2000s, after an event at The New Yorker Festival, he gifted me his notes on his Norman Mailer presentation, and his annotated paperback he was reading from—more priceless treasures for my collection of his work. His inscriptions in my books grew warmer over the years.

When my father died in 2002, we talked about our fathers, and Martin pointed out that when your parent dies, it makes you terribly aware of your own mortality and that you’re next.

It’s sadly poetic that he and Hitch both died from same kind of cancer.

It’s still sinking in that he’s gone. The last time I saw him, it was before the pandemic. Susan and I were walking on Smith Street in Brooklyn and ran into Martin there. He and Isabel had recently moved to a very tall building, to an apartment on the twentieth (?) floor; he said he rather liked being up that high. I had no idea that would be the last time I would see him.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Yeah, Martin and Hitch were definitely 2 of the greats.
Hitch had some great quotes.

"Those who are determined to be 'offended' will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt."

 

[K.E. Powell]

Despite having a copy of "Money" on my shelf, I have yet to acquaint myself with Amis' fiction. However, I am acquainted with his essays. "The War Against Cliché" is a favorite of mine. He had an acerbic wit that I really appreciated. Sorry to see him go.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Despite having a copy of "Money" on my shelf, I have yet to acquaint myself with Amis' fiction. However, I am acquainted with his essays. "The War Against Cliché" is a favorite of mine. He had an acerbic wit that I really appreciated. Sorry to see him go.

Money is the fave of many fans, and with good reason. It’s largely inspired by Martin’s time working on the film, Saturn 3, starring Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, and Harvey Keitel (Martin wrote the screenplay), and is a wonderful black comedy; John Self is an amazing character. I don’t think you’ll regret taking that book off the shelf and reading it.

 

[georged]

... largely inspired by Martin’s time working on the film, Saturn 3, starring Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, and Harvey Keitel (Martin wrote the screenplay)...

Speaking of Saturn 3, that weird little movie has one of the most astonishingly in-depth "backstory" fan sites on the Internet:

something is wrong on saturn 3

a site devoted to the making of the 1980 sci-fi thriller

saturn3makingof.com

 

[TheIronMonkey]

It just occurred to me that Martin’s Dad, Kingsley Amis, also died at age 73. With the parallel of he and Hitch both dying from the same kind of cancer, there’s almost a weird duality you’d find in a Vladimir Nabokov novel that Martin would’ve written about.

 

[UB 40]

Sad to hear of Amis death. I appreciated some of his books very much.

 

[augiebd]

Sorry to hear about the passing of a
great writer and someone you had a special relationship with.

 

[mso489]

He was famous with the ladies. The obit in the NYT shows him in his study with bookcases to the ceiling and a ladder to retrieve the books on upper shelves. He definitely got the work done. Maybe he's at the top of the ladder in the library up above.

 

[DesertDan]

Outside of Saturn 3 (which I enjoy and have in my DVD collection) I am sadly unaware of Mr. Amis.
Which of his works would you recommend for getting started?

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Outside of Saturn 3 (which I enjoy and have in my DVD collection) I am sadly unaware of Mr. Amis.
Which of his works would you recommend for getting started?

As far as fiction goes, Money is loved by many of his fans, and a lot of people consider it his best novel, which is sort of sad to think you peaked at your fifth novel. Since you like Saturn 3, you might appreciate Money. It has to do with the movie business and is inspired by Martin’s involvement in the film—there’s a character based on Kirk Douglas in the book.

His essays, reviews, and journalistic pieces shouldn’t be overlooked. The Moronic Inferno and Other Visits to America and The War Against Cliché are good collections.

 

[DesertDan]

Thank you Iron Monkey, I will give those a read.

 

[ThermionicScott]

+1, I've been aware of him, but haven't really delved into his work yet. I think it's time I fixed that!