Where to start with Martin Amis: The style, satire and the savage beauty of language

With writers you grew up reading, their departure leaves a space in your life that is as close to an ache as books and literature can get. That’s how I feel about Martin Amis.

Amis, who died in 2023 at the age of 73 from cancer, was one of Britain’s most distinctive and dazzling literary voices. The son of Kingsley Amis, author of Lucky Jim, he forged his own reputation as a bold stylist and razor-sharp satirist, chronicling the absurdities and moral disintegration of late 20th-century life with wit, intellect and a signature swagger.

Whatever happened to Douglas Coupland?

Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X didn’t just name a demographic—it captured a mindset. His fiction defined the detached, drifting, hyper-aware sensibility of 1990s youth culture. Generation X was also published 34 years ago. 

He gave us slackers before they were memeable, office ennui before The Office, and a sense that we were all increasingly plugged in and alienated. 

He was prolific for many years, publishing thirteen novels between 1991 and 2013—six of them in his first ten years.

But it’s now been more than a decade since his last novel, Worst. Person. Ever. It was published in 2013. So… what happened?

Why you should read Joan Didion: five unforgettable quotes and the best books to start with

Joan Didion didn’t just write essays and novels, she rewired what prose could do. Her work is surgically precise and emotionally raw, offering a style that has inspired generations of writers and captivated readers for over half a century. 

She helped shape the New Journalism movement in the 1960s, bringing a personal, literary sensibility to reportage. She created some of the most arresting portraits of American life in the second half of the twentieth century.

The art of the campus novel – what makes them work, and which are the best?

Writing about Donna Tartt last week and The Secret History got me thinking about the campus novel.  

I’ve always been fascinated by this sub-literary genre, from what makes it work to why it continues to captivate readers and how it manages to be both intensely specific and universally resonant. 

The best campus novels transport us to a world of intellectual ambition, youthful recklessness, and, often, profound disillusionment. They capture a moment in life where identity, relationships, and ambition collide.

But what exactly makes a great campus novel, and which books best define the ever-growing genre? 

How to write a novel when you have no time

One of the biggest challenges for most writers is finding the time. In my 20s and early 30s, I could sit for hours and devote entire weekends to writing without distractions. But life changes. Responsibilities pile up, free time disappears, and you have to adapt.

For a while, I thought I needed long, uninterrupted stretches before I could write. Otherwise, what was the point? I told myself that anything less than 90 minutes was pointless—but in reality, I was just putting blockers in the way.

I’ve since learned that writing a novel doesn’t require marathon sessions. It can be done in snatches, even 20 minutes here, a paragraph or two there.

If you feel like you don’t have time to write, you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t finish a book. I’ve spent ages thinking about this and collected some strategies and wisdom from authors on how to write a novel when your schedule is packed.

Publication of Joan Didion’s journal creates an ethical literary dilemma

Joan Didion has been a monumental influence on countless writers, including myself. Her works, from Slouching Towards Bethlehem to The Year of Magical Thinking, have profoundly shaped modern literature.

Anything new by her is a major literary event. So, the recent announcement of the posthumous publication of her personal journal, Notes to John, has ignited a significant ethical debate within the literary world.

Yes, it is exciting to see Didion's unpublished work, but is it right to publish her personal journals? Especially those detailing conversations with her psychiatrist?

The art of showing, not telling: Crafting novels readers can’t put down

I've struggled with this one without knowing and have been guilty of too much telling. 

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the oldest pieces of writing advice, but what does it mean? At its core, it encourages readers to experience the story through the characters’ actions, words, and emotions instead of simply being told what to think. 

This approach makes the difference between feeling immersed in the narrative and feeling as though you’re merely reading a summary.