Did Kingsley Amis dislike his son Martin's books? trends now
QUESTION Did Kingsley Amis dislike his son Martin's books?
Kingsley and Martin Amis adopted very different literary styles. Kingsley used straightforward prose, which meant that his works, such as the great campus novel Lucky Jim, were accessible to all. Martin took his lead from modernism, preferring ornate language, inventive, sometimes implausible plots and savage humour.
Martin sent the proof of his first and most straightforward novel, The Rachel Papers, to his father. According to Martin, he sent a brief, charming note saying he thought it was 'enjoyable and fun and all that'.
However, Kingsley became increasingly disgruntled with his son's works. Matters came to a head when he read Martin's scorching 1984 novel Money: A Suicide Note. In it, Martin breaks the fourth wall when his character John Self states: 'This writer's name, they tell me, is Martin Amis. Never heard of him.' This rocked Kingsley's sensibilities and was reportedly the moment he hurled the book across the room.
Pictured: Novelist and essayist Martin Amis, son of novelist and poet Kingsley Amis
Kingsley (pictured) used straightforward prose, which meant that his works, such as the great campus novel Lucky Jim, were accessible to all
Although Kingsley often didn't enjoy his son's books (Time's Arrow was an exception), he wasn't jealous of his success and the pair had a good relationship.
Martin wasn't too worried: 'The fact that he didn't always like my stuff didn't really bother me that much, because his taste in prose was so eccentric. I once asked him to name the prose writers he liked and, after Powell and perhaps a little of Henry Fielding, he was reduced to Dick Francis.'
Nell Stewart, Bracknell, Berks.
QUESTION Do any nations take the matronym for the surname?
Purely matronymic surnames are unusual. Historically they could be given to children of unwed mothers or adopted by descendants of an especially
