Saturday, February 17, 2007

Arse-Scratching Amis A Non-Acerbic Tutor?

Martin Amis, long dubbed 'the bad boy of British fiction' is to take up a post teaching creative writing at Manchester University reports Alexandar Topping in the Guardian. He promises not to be unkind to his students:
I may be acerbic in how I write but I'm not how I live. And I would find it very difficult to say cruel things to people in such a vulnerable position. I imagine I'll be surprisingly sweet and gentle with them. One of the things I've learned about fiction - you really do lay yourself open in a way that no other so-called creative artist does. Most other art you're just exhibiting a particular talent, even poetry up to a point, but by writing fiction you expose not only your talent but your whole being, your social, sexual and psychological being and you're never more vulnerable than when you do that, and I'm well aware of that fact and will take it into account.
And he has this to say about the so-called glamour of being a writer:
Well, it is a sort of sedentary, carpet slippers, self-inspecting, nose-picking, arse-scratching kind of job, just you in your study and there is absolutely no way round that.
Update

More Martin Amis in the Sunday Times and you can listen to him talk about his latest book The House of Meetings on WYNC.

Pic nicked from the Guardian.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lovely occupation to me! (all that freedom to scratch and whatnot)

bibliobibuli said...

yes, i already have some of the skills on that list. why don't any words appear on my page??

Rob said...

You can catch an interview with him (about 6 minutes) on the BBC's Listen again thing at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/frontrow/
-go to Wednesday. Not sure if it's on the podcast.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lovely occupation until you have to deal with the poverty, the depression, the endless rejections.. but of course if you're Martin Amis then that's different, innit ?

Burhan said...

another marty amis interview here

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2007/01/29

bibliobibuli said...

i love's the guy. still reading 'money' for the first time, 20 years after everyone else ... god it's good

will go look for the other interviews and thanks for the links rob and burhan

bibliobibuli said...

rob - not podcast tho' i found some older interviews archived