Martin Amis

Lionel Asbo: State of England Martin Amis Spanning four decades, a dozen novels, several short story collections and works of nonfiction, two screenplays, and hundreds of reviews and essays, Martin Amis’s influential career testifies to a lifetime devoted to literature. A writer who is “dark, satirical, and gifted with irascibility” (Los Angeles Times Book Review), Amis has been described as the undisputed master of what the New York Times called “the new unpleasantness.” English tabloid culture takes a beating in his new book, a characteristically gruesome satire about an unusually principled thug raising his bookish nephew. Joesph Anton: A Memoir Salman Rushdie After the 1989 publication of his novel The Satanic Verses led Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa calling for his death, Salman Rushdie went underground, living under police protection for almost 10 years until the fatwa was lifted in 1998. He draws the title of his new memoir from the alias he adopted during this time, a combination of the first names of two writers he loved: Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. Rushdie is the author of 16 books, including Midnight's Children, winner of the Booker Prize in 1981 and the “Booker of Bookers” Prize in 1993; Shalimar the Clown; and The Enchantress of Florence, which was named one of the Best Books of 2008 by the Washington Post. Parkway Central Library 1901 Vine Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway) Tickets on sale August 24 at 10:00 a.m. This is a TICKETED event; $15 General Admission, $7 Students. For more information, please call 215-567-4341, or click here

Location: Street: Free Library of Philadelphia Additional: 1901 Vine Street City: Philadelphia, Province: Pennsylvania Postal Code: 19103-5207 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

CANCELLED: Due to the tropical storm we have had to cancel Martin Amis' event. We apologize for any inconvenience. Lionel Asbo: State of England (Knopf, $26.95) is a savage, funny, and mysteriously poignant saga by a renowned author – Martin Amis -- at the height of his powers. Lionel Asbo, a terrifying yet weirdly loyal thug, has always looked out for his ward and nephew, the orphaned Desmond Pepperdine. He provides him with fatherly career advice (always carry a knife, for example) and is determined they should share the joys of pit bulls (fed with lots of Tabasco sauce), Internet porn, and all manner of more serious criminality. Des, on the other hand, desires nothing more than books to read and a girl to love (and to protect a family secret that could be the death of him). But just as he begins to lead a gentler, healthier life, his uncle—once again in a London prison—wins £140 million in the lottery and upon his release hires a public relations firm and begins dating a cannily ambitious topless model and “poet.” Strangely, however, Lionel's true nature remains uncompromised while his problems, and therefore also Desmond's, seem only to multiply. FREE tickets available at Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops locations, while supplies last. 6pm

Location: Street: 265 Aragon Ave City: Coral Gables, Province: Florida Postal Code: 33134-5008 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Martin Amis discusses The Adventures of Augie March.

IMPORTANT: Registration is required for this event. See details below. In October 1995, British novelist Martin Amis wrote in The Atlantic Monthly that the publication of The Adventures of Augie March had marked the end of the search for the “great American novel.” He described Bellow’s magnum opus as being “without inhibition;” a novel that “bids farewell to exactitude, and to other constraints.” Amis, whose acclaimed fiction includes The Rachel Papers, London Fields, The Information and, most recently, The Pregnant Widow, joins Sun-Times publisher John Barron in conversation about his respect for Augie March and his friendship with Saul Bellow. Registration: Seating is limited and registration is required. To register, go to chicagopubliclibrary1b1c.eventbrite.com/. If you do not have computer access, please call (312) 747-8191. (lilithcat)… (more)

Martin Amis discusses The Pregnant Widow.

Italy. 1970. A long hot summer. The girls are acting like boys and Keith Nearing is struggling to twist feminism and the sexual revolution towards his own ends... The Pregnant Widow is the long-awaited 10th novel from Martin Amis, arguably 'the most original prose stylist of his generation' (David Lodge). If The Rachel Papers (1973) made Amis an overnight cult, then his coruscating urban triptych - Success, Money and London Fields - distilled an era and defined a genre. His later work - more overtly political - presented a new Amis, with big themes in his sights. No stranger to controversy, his recent fiction and prolific output as essayist, critic and cultural commentator has tackled some of the most divisive issues of our age - from environmental apocalypse and religious fundamentalism to counter-terrorism. A new Amis novel remains a genuine publishing event. Don't miss it! (DeadGoodBooks)… (more)