Father and Son: Kingsley Amis, Martin Amis, and the British Novel since 1950

This work is a study of two of England’s most popular, controversial, and influential writers. It examines the relationship between Kingsley Amis and his son, Martin Amis. Through intertextual readings of their essays and novels, it covers how their work negotiated the boundaries of their personal relationship while claiming territory in the literary debate between mimesis and modern aesthetics. It argues that the Amises’ relationship functioned as a source of literary inspiration and that their work illuminates many of the structural and stylistic shifts that have characterized the British novel since 1950.