Martin Amis (Cardiff, 25 augustus 1949)
De Engelse schrijver Martin Amis werd geboren op 25 augustus 1949 in Cardiff, South Wales. Hij is de zoon van de schrijver Kingsley Amis. Martin Amis werd vooral bekend door zijn tweede roman Dead Babies uit 1975. De titel van het boek veroorzaakte zoveel opschudding en afkeer dat de uitgeverij de titel veranderde voor de paperback versie in Dark Secrets. Zijn werk wordt dan ook gekenmerkt door moreel en mentaal geweld. Dit heeft hij gemeen met de schrijversgeneratie uit de jaren vijftig, the Angry Young Men. Amis experimenteert graag: met vorm, stijl, maar ook inhoud. Hij gebruikt Amerikaans Engels, straat-Engels en dialecten van verschillende minderheidsgroepen in zijn romans.
Uit: Yellow Dog
The couple stood embracing in a high-ceilinged hallway. Now the husband with a movement of the arm caused his keys to sound in their pocket. His half-conscious intention was to signal an ?.impatience to be out. Xan would not publicly agree, but women naturally like to prolong routine departures. It is the obverse of their fondness for keeping people waiting. Men shouldn't mind this. Being kept waiting is a moderate reparation for their five million years in power . . . Now Xan sighed softly as the stairs above him softly creaked. A complex figure was descending, normal up to the waist, but two-headed and four-armed: Meo's baby daughter, Sophie, cleaving to the side of her Brazilian nanny, Imaculada. Behind them, at a distance both dreamy and self-sufficient, loomed the four-year-old: Billie.
Russia took the baby and said, 'Would you like a lovely yoghurt for your tea?'
'No!' said the baby.
'Would you like a bath with all your floaty toys?'
'No!' said the baby, and yawned: the first lower teeth like twin grains of rice.
'Billie. Do the monkeys for Daddy.'
'There were too many monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell down and broke his head. They took him to the doctor and the doctor said: No more monkeys jumping on the BED.'
Xan Meo gave his elder daughter due praise.
Daddy'll read to you when he comes back,' said Russia.
25-08-2007 om 20:01
geschreven door Romenu 
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