tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6600022529355932646.post265012407036271243..comments2024-01-29T10:10:55.378+00:00Comments on Bibliofreak.net - A Book Blog: Review: Martin Amis: The Biography by Richard BradfordMatthew Selwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00723650905588749638noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6600022529355932646.post-80746504558915340392011-12-16T16:32:11.034+00:002011-12-16T16:32:11.034+00:00There are definitely some decent anecdotes; the ep...There are definitely some decent anecdotes; the episode where Amis drags Hitchens to a hand job parlour, in the name of research, is particularly amusing. <br /><br />It's certainly not a biography based on newspaper articles, but more on interviews and critical assessment.Matthew Selwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00723650905588749638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6600022529355932646.post-22064388773522417972011-12-16T12:47:06.979+00:002011-12-16T12:47:06.979+00:00For me, what makes biographies worth reading are t...For me, what makes biographies worth reading are the little anecdotes which make one know the person. What I dislike are biographies which are, basically, a compilation of newspaper articles.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ManOfLaBook.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.ManOfLaBook.com</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6600022529355932646.post-78859522309423932732011-12-15T17:31:36.687+00:002011-12-15T17:31:36.687+00:00There is certainly an awful lot of Bradford in thi...There is certainly an awful lot of Bradford in this biography. Critics / reporters seem particularly keen to link Amis's characters to people in his life - I suppose this is as a consequence of his media profile - I've read a few newspaper articles doing exactly that, oddly they tend to focus on the women in his fiction, I wonder why? Hmm. <br /><br />I don't particularly have a problem with the practice, but the biography didn't really delve into literary inspirations, and I would have liked to see more of that sort of thing.<br /><br />But you're right - back to Amis's fiction. I've had <i>Time's Arrow</i> on reserve for about six months. Am beginning to see what some of the students are banging on about :sMatthew Selwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00723650905588749638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6600022529355932646.post-1034984949711247812011-12-15T15:25:04.761+00:002011-12-15T15:25:04.761+00:00"Some of Bradford's critical assertions s..."Some of Bradford's critical assertions seem a little off the mark and are rarely supported by evidence, or clear arguments, and one gets the impression that once he catches hold of an idea the biographer pushes forward with it obstinately regardless of the facts. However, Bradford draws neat parallels between Martin's characters and the people he spent time with, perhaps placing a little too much emphasis on this as an explanation for the development of his prose, but still providing interesting observations. "<br /><br />I think this is the danger with biography and literature - there is always the opinion that if you dig deep enough you can find the roots of characters etc, but ultimately it's the assumption of the biographer that comes to light - often to the detriment of the biography. I don't think you can answer all the questions in this way.<br /><br />Still, it is a shame that this was such a disappointment! You will have to go back to Amis' own writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com