Synopses & Reviews
Review
"You either love him or hate him. The nine stories presented here are as meticulously crafted as anything Amis has written, but they are also as mean-spirited in that oh-so-clever British way of his. He seems to delight in generating intense interest in his characters, then patronizing them—and, it seems, readers who identify with them. 'Let Me Count the Times,' for instance, offers a portrait of a married man who becomes obsessed with masturbation. Other stories show Amis playing one of his favorite tricks, creating a world in which everything runs counter to our expectations. In 'Straight Fiction,' homosexuality is the norm and straight people form an oppressed minority. In 'Career Move,' poets are flown first-class to Hollywood to make million-dollar deals, while screenwriters struggle in near-oblivion for publication in obscure journals. Amis fans will love it, but the rest of us aren't likely to be converted." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
A wickedly delightful collection of stories establishing Amis as one of the most versatile and gifted writers of his generation. Martin Amis is a force unto himself.... There is, quite simply, no one else like him.--The Washington Post Martin Amis is a stone-solid genius...a dazzling star of wit and insight. --The Wall Street Journal
Martin Amis once again demonstrates why he is a modern master of the short story form. In Career Move, screenwriters struggle for their art, while poets are the darlings of Hollywood. In Straight Fiction, the love that dare not speak its name calls out to the hero when he encounters a forbidden object of desire--the opposite sex. And in State of England, Mal, a former minder to the superstars, discovers how to live in a country where class and race and gender were supposedly gone.
Synopsis
A wickedly delightful collection of stories establishing Amis as one of the most versatile and gifted writers of his generation "Amis applies his comic timing, his perfect pitch and his curatorial eye to some of the burning issues of our time." --The New York Times Book Review
"Martin Amis is a force unto himself.... There is, quite simply, no one else like him."--The Washington Post
Martin Amis once again demonstrates why he is a modern master of the short story form. In "Career Move," screenwriters struggle for their art, while poets are the darlings of Hollywood. In "Straight Fiction," the love that dare not speak its name calls out to the hero when he encounters a forbidden object of desire--the opposite sex. And in "State of England," Mal, a former "minder to the superstars," discovers how to live in a country where "class and race and gender were supposedly gone."
About the Author
Martin Amis is the best-selling author of several books, including London Fields, Money, The Information, and, most recently, Experience. He lives in London.
Table of Contents
Career move -- Denton's death -- State of England -- Let me count the times -- Coincidence of the arts -- Heavy water -- Janitor on Mars -- Straight fiction -- What happened to me on my holiday.