The War Against Cliche is the kind of book I love re-re-re-reading. In it, you can find lots of reviews that Martin Amis wrote since the first days of his career as a literary reviewer until 2001. He mostly reviews literary works, ranging from popular novels to the canons, but you can also find several reviews on non-fiction non-literary works like Hillary Clinton’s book and Andy Warhol’s diary. All are reviewed in the holy Amisian way. They’re sharp, they’re to the point, they’re honestly admiring or denouncing.
For the ones on literary works, you can find how Amis repeatedly quotes sentences or words that highly show cliches. He gives sharp remarks as if addressed mainly to the author of those reviewed works. But, once he shows a huge interest in the book, he gladly and sincerely gives praises. Look at how he reviews Michael Chricton’s The Lost World, and compare it to his reviews on Vladimir Nabokov’s works. Continue reading »
