Draining Swollen Finger

Library SF IV - Kingsley Amis (1922-1995)

Kingsley Amis è stato un uomo di lettere a tutto campo. Tra i principali narratori britannici della seconda metà del secolo scorso, poeta stimato e acuto literary critic. His reputation in the field of fiction is due mainly to the work of a critic. Enthusiastic reader and appreciation of science fiction, particularly works that were in the '50s by writing the standard bearers of the so-called social science fiction, notably Cyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl and Robert Sheckley, at the end of that decade his studies helped to liberate not just science fiction in the broader literary world. Although in later years show that they are disappointed by the turn toward more classical forms and adventure took place after the death of Kornbluth by Pohl, the author estimated that more, Amis kept his interest in the field.

Over 60s Sir Kingsley was away, in his fiction, from the realism that had characterized from the first novel (Jim the lucky, the 1954 commercial success as well as literature), writing novels, he also all recognizable as science fiction. In a

ideal library should find a place at least three of his books:

New Maps of Hell (New Maps of Hell: a survey of science fiction, 1960)
The most important work of Amis on science fiction. The book contains his lectures held on a couple of years before the United States.

The League

Antimorte ( The Anti-Death League, 1966 )
Antimorte The League is only tangentially science fiction, perhaps only the whole of its parts. It 'the first novel in which substantially departs from the Amis humorous realism that had characterized its production, marking also the beginning of his experience within the genres. The intent of the typical speculative fiction so loved by Amis is joined to the spy story, the thriller, the mystery, in a work by thousands of suggestions of existence, where death and even more so her lie is always present.

change has ( The Alteration, 1976 )
change has is the work purely science fiction. A baroque, lush novel of alternate history , in which a hideous our contemporary Europe, where the Reformation never happened and the papal power has never failed, is the setting for reflection and a ferocious satirical analysis of the many dogmas and bigotry that affect us, not altered reality.

Sir Kingsley Amis and his son Martin, like his father a writer of great talent and fame