Martin Amis doesn't like journalists (if you didn't know that already, you will now, having read Christopher Tayler's review a few pages ago). This doesn't stop journalists from loving Martin Amis. When the Man Booker Prize longlist was announced last month, reporters were delighted to see his name on it. Peel it back, and underneath appear the words: 'For instant literary news, just add water.' The online wing of the BBC had as their headline: 'Amis and Atwood lead Booker list.' They might as well have said that Amis and Atwood have names beginning with 'A', but never mind that. 'Amis survives hatchet job on day of the long knives for other star writers,' the Guardian succinctly announced, while the Times went for: 'Amis defies critics with Booker nomination.' (Their logic was a little flawed: being longlisted for the Booker doesn't automatically annul negative criticism.) Even the LRB is concocting a few column inches out of the story.

LRB 11 September 2003 | PDF Download