Kingsley Amis is one of the most prominent British writers of the 20th century. He became famous all over the world thanks to his fascinating literary works. His creative legacy consists of stories, poetry, essays, novels, criticism and many others. His professional activity was very diverse. Thus, sometimes, it’s hard to believe that one person could write so unlike works. What else do we know about Kingsley Amis’s life? Learn more at london1.one.
Childhood, student years and military service
Kingsley Amis was born in London on April 16, 1922. The boy spent his childhood in Norbury. Many of his emotional memories were associated with this place. He received his first education at St Hilda’s School. Later, the future writer studied at Norbury College. After that, he entered the City of London School, following his father’s footsteps. In 1941, Kingsley Amis received a scholarship to St John’s College. At this educational institution, he met Philip Larkin, who became the writer’s most genuine and important friend. In 1941, Kingsley also joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. In July 1942, he began his military service in the Royal Corps of Signals. In 1945, Amis returned to Oxford to complete his studies and obtain a degree.
Professional activity and devotion to writing
Kingsley Amis became a lecturer in English at the University College of Swansea in 1949. The writer’s first novel Lucky Jim was published after the birth of his third child Sally. The work brought the author great recognition. First of all, critics and readers were impressed by the image of Great Britain of the 1950s, described in the novel. In addition, it represented a completely different and new style of fiction. Perhaps, the writer became known as a novelist thanks to this work. However, his first literary work was poetry. Lucky Jim has been translated into 20 languages. The novel’s satire was perceived as the writer’s affiliation with the Angry Young Men movement, which was quite popular at the time. Although the author hardly interpreted it like that. In 1960, the world saw his other novel, Take a Girl Like You. This is the story of a twenty-year-old girl who moved to a small town near London to teach children at a primary school. The work vividly highlights the problem of love in the modern world. In the same year, the writer published New Maps of Hell: a Survey of Science Fiction, followed by One Fat Englishman and The James Bond Dossier.
One of the author’s most interesting novels was The Anti-Death League, which was published in 1966. This work was some kind of experimental for the writer. Kingsley Amis has done a nice job on the content and changed the overall writing style a bit, which was influenced by Frederik Pohl. Thus, Amis’s subsequent works were distinguished by a shift from strict realism. The Green Man and The Alteration are vivid examples. In addition, Kingsley Amis paid great attention to religion in these works. The reader can trace the disappointment with God (because the world is filled with cruelty and injustice) and the defence of people’s right to ordinary happiness (from a family creation, physical satisfaction and true friendship). One of his most important books was Memoirs. This work, which was published in 1991, highlighted the author’s views on a wide range of problems that concern society. In general, the writer’s legacy is quite diverse. Therefore, everyone can find what they are looking for in his literary works.