In its previous incarnation, the martin amis web featured a discussion page. Mar 27, 2020 martin amis, english satirist known for his virtuoso storytelling technique and his dark views of contemporary english society. Martin louis amis born 25 august 1949 is a british novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. At the age of 24, with the publication of the rachel papers, amis already sounded jaded. I liked the sub heading the psychological autopsy and amis exploration of suicide and the night train suicide is the night train. Night train, like everything martin amis has written, shines with disciplined linguistic exuberance in every syllable night train is both delicate and bruising a long drawnout blue note. Allow me to apologize for the bad language, the diseased sarcasm, and the bigotry. Night train book by martin amis 10 available editions. Buy a cheap copy of night train book by martin amis. When all is revealed, and an explanation sought as to why the partner did it, the martin amis character in the book expresses skepticism about even asking such a question motivation as a controlling force in human affairs is said to be exhausted, and the idea of gratuitous.
Martin amis is the author of fourteen novels, the memoir experience, two collections of stories, and six previous nonfiction books. Even though by the end i was smiling at amiss clever resolution, im not sure night train was the best jumping off point for getting to know martin amis. Sep 12, 20 martin amis is famous for being the son of kingsley amis, a writer made sir. Apr 11, 2017 andrew martins new book, night trains. Partly because it deals with one of lifes great pleasures a night on a sleeper train, and partly because it is written by an extremely talented and prolific writer, whom i would call britains national railway treasure. But having worked my way through the oeuvres of a few great authors lately, it occurred to me that one tends to read the most well known thus often best works. He graduated from exeter college, oxford, in 1971 with firstclass. A sharp twist on the noir genre from one of englands finest fiction writers i worked one hundred murders, says detective mike hoolihan, an american policewoman. I liked the sub heading the psychological autopsy and amis exploration of suicide and the night train suicide is the night train, speeding your way to darkness. James diedrick selected the following dialogue as especially worthy of preservation.
Martin amis was born in oxford in 1949, the son of the writer kingsley amis. The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of martin amis s the information. This dark story is a bitter pill of a book, suffused with suffering. If you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them in a martin. London fields 1989, the information 1995, and night train 1997. His bestknown novels are money 1984 and london fields 1989. A fifteenyear veteran of the force, she\\s gone from walking a beat, to robbery. The book hangs around in the mind like smoke in a jazz club, telegraph magazine a virtuoso performance. I am a police, she introduces herself to the reader. Amis, who seems to be turning himself into a british thomas berger, continues his twisty tour of formulaic genres the information, 1995, etc. Night train vintage international kindle edition by amis, martin. The reader is completely robbed of any ahha moments.
Originally published in great britain by jonathan cape ltd. Martin amiss night train, genre and literary fiction. The night train that hoolihan hears from her flat is also used as a metaphor for suicide. He has received the james tait black memorial prize for his memoir experience and has been listed for the booker prize twice shortlisted in 1991 for times arrow and longlisted in 2003 for yellow dog. A discussion board dialogue on night train martin amis. Pdf the purpose of this article is to examine the novel by martin amis night train with respect to the rules of modern and postmodern. The narrator aboard the night train is the dark and sultry detective mike hoolihan, a worldweary woman weighed down further by her name, a onetime boozer. Night train has 10 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Natasha walter, the guardian martin amis prefers crime bloody and for real and one of the strengths of his novel is that it never condescends or asks special. Martin amis has been called the voice of his generation. Night train, by the british writer and son of novelist kingsley amis is both an interesting and quite readable crime novel, a noir police procedural set in contemporary new york city. We hope they will enrich your understanding of this brilliant new novel by a writer who has provided one of englands most consistently provocative and commanding voices for over twenty years. The world amis conjures up in night train is vaguely reminiscent of the grim, threatening realm hes limned in earlier novels.
The book hangs around in the mind like smoke in a jazz club telegraph magazine a virtuoso performance. Amis is talking the big thoughts and writing the fast line, so why at the end does night train feel, like so many of amis books, so wonderfully entertaining and at the same time so. Other titles include dead babies 1976, other people. If you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them in a. Night train vintage international series by martin amis. The introductory part of the article is devoted to the scrutiny of various modern and postmodern. All this is not to say that night train is an unadulterated success. My colleague in homicide, who has since made squad supervisor. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading night train vintage international. Martin amis is famous for being the son of kingsley amis, a writer made sir. Martin amis is the bestselling author of several books, including london fields, money, the. Night train 1997 his shortest novel has amiss only female narrator, and is written as a police mystery about a young womans suicide.
So in reading martin amis it is hard indeed to forget ones conviction probably erroneous that too much is already known about him. Even the brilliant martin amis cant stop talking about trump. Use our file search system, download the e book for computer, smartphone or online reading. He was educated at schools in britain, spain and the usa, and graduated from exeter college, oxford, with first class honours in english. Night train isbn 9780099748717 pdf epub martin amis. In night train by martin amis, detective mike hoolihan discovered that one can acquire a new sense of self through the analysis of the lives of individuals who put on facades to hide inner pain. Martin amiss night train detective fiction survived for quite a while on the simple formula of a crime and its detection, and in the process reassuringly brought order to disorder, understanding to enigma, answers to questions. Night train 1997 is a comedic parody of american detective novels by author martin amis, named after the song night train, which features twice in the novel. The narrator, the detective, describes how this case was the worst and then goes on to recount the worst case ever, only she never really does. Theres a temptation to let out a groan right there, but this is famous amis after all, and he gets the benefit of quite a few doubts. Similar books to night train vintage international. This acclaimed book by martin amis is available at in several formats for your ereader. This train takes you into the night, and leaves you there.
Article pdf available january 2009 with 1,043 reads how we measure reads. Night train by martin amis penguin books australia. A fifteenyear veteran of the force, shes gone from walking a beat, to. Night train by martin amis and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Amis published his first novel, the rachel papers, in 1973, which received the prestigious somerset maugham award in 1974. Martin amis has been on my toread list for a while, but when i picked up a used paperback of night train, an older work, i for some reason had low expectations. Night train by martin amis by martin amis by martin amis by martin amis. When a highly acclaimed novelist tries his hand at a popular form, you can expect at least an interesting book. Night train is also a novel of imagery, with the strongest image being the night train itself. By the time you lay it aside and you should always. No one knowsthat is, except his soul, his conscience, which narrates this book.
Night train is a noirish detective story set in america. Our hero is a police woman and she must decide if a suicide was really a murder. Martin amiss exploitation of the detective fiction genre in his novel, night train, is indeed a text of impeccable postmodern sensibility, but one which, in its. Suicide is the night train, speeding your way to darkness. Night train kent academic repository university of kent. Jennifer rockwell appeared picture perfect from the outside.
Jul 14, 2008 early in the book, mike gives one of those preemptive apologies that is not an apology. His novels included london fields, times arrow, lionel asbo. Tough, noir, chandleresque amis is still the finest english fiction writer of his generation sunday independent. In my time i have come in on the aftermath of maybe a thousand suspicious deaths, most of which turned out to be suicides, accidentals or plain. On a beautiful night in a secondtier american city. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. Night train isbn 9780375701146 pdf epub martin amis. The psychological autopsy suicide is the night train, speeding your way to darkness. Detective mike hoolihan, an american policewoman, a police in cop parlance, begins to investigate the suspicious death of jennifer, a police colleagues daughter. But from dashiell hammett through to our own sceptical, unstable times it has all gone wrong.
A discussion board dialogue on night train by robert martinez and nick shuit note. Free night train by martin amis essay exampleessays. Martin amis s night train, genre and literary fiction. Martin amis, born august 25, 1949, oxford, oxfordshire, england, english satirist known for his virtuoso storytelling technique and his dark views of contemporary english society as a youth, amis, the son of the novelist kingsley amis, thrived literarily on a permissive home atmosphere and a passionate street life. It may be emotionally richer than amis s previous novels, but in terms of style and form it doesnt measure up. A fifteenyear veteran of the force, shes gone from walking a beat, to robbery, to homicide. Night train vintage international kindle edition by amis. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Identity and solution in martin amiss night train detective. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. When jennifer rockwell, darling of the community and daughter of a respected career copnow top brass. Never read martin amis, what would be a good book to start. Martin amis money a suicide note 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 numbers added by scanner to antonia this is a suicide note. Night train 1997 his shortest novel has amis s only female narrator, and is written as a police mystery about a young womans suicide. Amis has been working on the book on and off for 16 years.
Martin amis does film noir and he does it quite well. A thriller with something on its mind the atlantic. It will almost certainly be a bit unsatisfying to anyone whos read the longer and more pyrotechnic stuff that made amis s reputation, but if you liked those then youll enjoy. Night train s brevity and relative simplicity may make it a reasonable taster for the amis virgin, before heading on to richer fare like the two titles mentioned above. Night train is a mystery story which lingers in the readers mind even after mike hoolihan declares the case closed. Her investigation is a study of the human soul and its predicaments. Night train vintage international kindle edition by martin amis. Apr, 20 i suspect most people are answering with what they consider to be amis best works. When jennifer rockwell, darling of the community and daughter of a respected career copnow top. The purpose of this article is to examine the novel by martin amis night train with respect to the rules of modern and postmodern detective fiction. Martin amis is the author of fourteen previous novels, the memoir experience, two collections of stories, and seven nonfiction books. Mar 31, 2017 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.
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