Martin Amis, the influential British novelist, has died aged 73, his publisher has confirmed.
Amis, a renowned writer and screenwriter, published a series of novels and non-fiction works to critical acclaim, including 1984’s Money and 1989’s London Fields.
The author died at his home at Lake Worth in Florida of oesophageal cancer, his wife Isabel Fonseca told the Nw York Times.
In a statement, Vintage Books said: “We are devastated at the death of our author and friend, Martin Amis: novelist, essayist, memoirist, critic, stylist supreme.
“It has been a profound privilege and pleasure to be his publisher; first as Jonathan Cape in 1973, with his explosive debut, The Rachel Papers; then as part of Penguin Random House and Vintage, up to and including his most recent book, 2020’s Inside Story.
His novel Time’s Arrow was shortlisted for the Booker Prize while his 2003 novel Yellow Dog was also longlisted. His novels were often characterised by their dark comedy.
Born in 1949 in Oxford, Amis was the son of the novelist and poet Kingsley Amis, and followed in his father’s footsteps.
He was widely considered one of the most influential writers of his generation, and was a contemporary of other celebrated writers such as Christopher Hitchens, Salman Rushdie, and Ian McEwan.
The official Twitter account of The Booker Prize described him as “one of the most acclaimed and discussed novelists of the past 50 years" following the news.
“We are saddened to hear that Martin Amis, one of the most acclaimed and discussed novelists of the past 50 years, has died", they tweeted. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Amis' UK editor, Michal Shavit, said: “It's hard to imagine a world without Martin Amis in it.
“He was the king - a stylist extraordinaire, super cool, a brilliantly witty, erudite and fearless writer, and a truly wonderful man.
“He has been so important and formative for so many readers and writers over the last half century. Every time he published a new book it was an event.
“He will be remembered as one of the greatest writers of his time and his books will stand the test of time alongside some of his favourite writers: Saul Bellow, John Updike, and Vladimir Nabokov.”
