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The Amis Papers: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Martin Locock
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.
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- 1 weeks ago53 min
Ep39 S2Ep16 Jake's Thing (1978)
Kingsley Amis is back on campus: Dr Jake Richardson is discovering a strange world in which his loss of sex drive leads him to re-evaluate his relationships with women while he undergoes therapy and treatment. Hailed at the time as funny if divisive, but sounding worse now, when Amis's attempts to undermine Jake's views fall flat. I also discuss why Leonardo DiCaprio would disagree with Amis's law of age and attraction, how far university has changed since Lucky Jim, and the strange recycling of the sleeping pills plot.
- Aug 2, 202610 min
Ep38 bonus August 2026 - Amis news and some live poetry
A quick update while I'm preparing the episode covering Jake's Thing.News about the Cambridge Companion to Martin Amis, just published and a My Martin Amis event in London.And then a recording of me reading some of my poetry at the Llandeilo Comedy Weekender, July 2026.
- Jun 3, 202640 min
Ep37 S2Ep15 The Alteration (1976)
Amis's foray into speculative fiction examines an alternative history in which England remains Catholic, the Papacy retains its hegemony, and young Hubert Anvil's soprano voice is so exceptional that his elders and betters propose to preserve it by castration. His best novel of the 70s depicting life under a religious totalitarian government with at the core an adventure story. Things mentioned:Philip K Dick The Man in the High Castle (1962)Len Deighton SS GB (1978)Robert Harrris Fatherland (1992)John Salisbury - Kinglsey Amis YouTube playlist Kingsley Amis on the Russell Harty Show (1975)Audiobook The Alteration
- May 7, 202619 min
Ep36 S2Ep14 Ending Up (1974)
Five old people live in Tuppenny Halfpenny Cottage and spend their time dealing with health problems, the prospect of death, and their irritating housemates. A black comedy which leaves few characters from its aim (apart from what is probably the only positive depiction of an advertsising executive in literature). Language note: includes a homophobic slur and racist attitudes1989 TV adaptation with John Mills and Lionel Jeffries
- Apr 30, 202631 min
Ep35 S2Ep13 The Riverside Villas Murder (1973)
In 1936, among the residents of the modest houses of Riverside Villas is 14 year old Peter Furneaux, obsessed by model aircraft, jazz and the mysterious world of sex. Amis builds a murder mystery around an evocation of very particular time, place and social context, taking the opportunity to parody the tropes of the crime novel while drawing heavily on autobiography and taking consequences seriously.Content note: the podcast discusses child sexual abuse and includes ethnic slursThings mentioned:George Orwell The Decline of the English murder (1946) R C Sherriff The Fortnight in September (1931)There is a radio dramatisation of the story https://youtu.be/FS2jO7vCZeE?si=ADA3UGJmwKy8YmMM
- Apr 14, 202640 min
Ep34 S2Ep12 Girl, 20 (1971)
A morality tale set in late 60s London, often praised as a satire of young people these days and their older cheerleaders, but in fact an exploration of Henri de Montherlant's philosophy of the self-sufficient man who only engages with romance as a passing diversion. Note on sound quality: heavy rain at times.Note on content: includes a discussion of racial slursLinksHenri de Montherlant The Girls translated by Terrence Kilmartin De Beauvoir and Montherlant More about The Girls Deep Purple Concerto for Group and Orchestra
- Mar 17, 202642 min
Ep33 S2Ep11 The Green Man (1969)
One of Amis's best novels, worth reading, and worth reading unspoiled. Maurice Allington, alcoholic and adulterer, runs a country pub near Cambridge abounding in ghosts and the presence of the supernatural entity the Green Man. In this discussion I highlight Amis's adoption of the M R James approach to writing about ghosts, the dubious antiquity of pub names and the 'green man' sculptural motif, and whether seeing ghosts would prove the existence of the afterlife. Amis again tries to explain the appeal of womanising, while noting that some womanisers don't seem to like women at all. Amis writes perceptively about the impacts of alcoholism and infidelity, leading me to define the Kingsley syndrome: “the ability of a novelist to understand and depict the negative consequences of a character’s behaviour without leading to the novelist altering his own behaviour” The presence of a threesome in the plotline is perhaps surprising when two years earlier David Crobsy thought he was being young and radical in proposing one in 'Triad', confirming that every younger generation thinks they invented sex.I also look at the TV adaptation by Maclolm Bradbury (author of The History Man) which is perhaps less worthy of your time. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
- Feb 15, 20261h 36m
Ep32 S2Ep10 I Want It Now (1968)
Amis presents a fairy tale in which a Sleeping Beauty is saved by love, dressed up as a satire of the ultra rich and 1960s talk shows. Ronnie Appleyard, ambitious and selfish, meets Simona Quick, listless heiress, and struggles to prise her away from the influence of her autocratic mother Lady Baldock, while visiting Greece and the southern United States. Ronnie finds his usually weakly-held convictions tested by the behaviour of the wealthy and overt racism and he stands up for right against his better interests. Content note: discussion of sexual assaultAs a bonus (of sorts) this episode includes a reading of my long short story, Change and Decay, which examines the murky ethics underlying an aristrocatic family.
About The Amis Papers
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.
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