Martin Amis (Swansea, United Kingdom, 1949), one of the most recognized and influential writers of recent years, the Bad Boy of British letters, the man who never bit his tongue, died at the age of 73 at his home in Lake Worth, Florida, United Kingdom. Died at home. States, as this newspaper has been able to confirm by sources close to the family. His wife, Isabel Fonseca, elaborated that the cause of death was esophageal cancer.
Amis soon escaped the shadow of her father, award-winning novelist Kingsley Amis—a central figure in her memoirs. Experience And koba—and rose to fame in the 1970s, joining a dazzling group of British writers including Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, and Christopher Hitchens.
He immediately stood out for his debut, book of rachel, published in 1973 when he was 23. obeyed dead child (1975), Success ,1978) and The Others: A Mystery Story (1981). His other masterpieces are Wealth (1984), london grounds (1989), Information (nineteen ninety five), arrow of time (1991), night Train (1998) or Experience (2000). One of his most repeated phrases is: “Literature is not essential to life, but it is to civilization.”
In addition to novels, he often turned to literary essays, which always stood out for their depth and brilliance. Martin Amis has the rare ability to garner enthusiastic support and fierce criticism in equal measure.
In an interview with EL PAÍS, he remarked: “One of the greatest forces in our lives is the move towards greater social and cultural democracy. You may not be aware of this when you are writing, although when I still say when I look at my first novels: “Shit, how did I say that”. Because it’s offensive. But I would say it has a lot to do with being young and stupid and brave. I still say the same thing. Which is what I want. Of course, you don’t bow down to people’s religious views, there’s nothing like that, but maybe you should be a little more careful who you insult.”
Often embroiled in controversies, the writer said in another interview with this newspaper: “Literature is already political enough, but writing about politics is like entering a river full of piranhas. Literature is a game. Politics is the real fight.” Is.” Nevertheless, he did not consider himself a dissident: “I only apply common sense, which has become subversive.” author of Wealth He once remarked that as a teenager he read very little and it was almost always comics. Until his stepmother, novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard, introduced him to Jane Austen, who encouraged him to read.
His last work was published in 2021, from inside, An unconventional novel where he uses his own life as fictional material easily and carelessly.
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