BookLust

Thank You, Martin Amis

Yeah, I know. Why on earth would I be thanking Martin Amis?

You see, it's like this. Amis made that silly brain injury comment, and understandably, a lot of kidlit authors were incensed. It was a Friday when I read this story online, and I was gearing down for the weekend, being a wee bit drained from some of the freelance stuff I had recently been working on. You see, just because you get to draw for a living, doesn't mean that you always get to draw exactly what you want. The creative constraints can sometimes be, well, frustrating. So I was reading the Amis story and all the heated responses, and something twigged inside me. Suddenly I had an image of Amis as The Cat in the Hat, and it just wouldn't go away. Then more images starting popping in my head, and so the only way to relieve the pressure was to sit down in the studio and start drawing. Drawing for fun mind you, with nobody telling me how or what to draw, what colours to use, and when the art was due. Damn it felt good. It felt so good, in fact, that I spent pretty much the whole weekend being intimate with Martin Amis. Oh I am a little tart, aren't I?

Originally I just posted the Amis images on my Facebook page to show my friends, but then some of these friends encouraged me to post them on my blog. So I did. Well, well, well. Here is the end result:

The London Evening Standard picked up the story online, and also did a write-up with a couple of the Amis images in their paper. Nice!

Here's a close-up.

And then last week I was contacted by an editor from The Times in London, and the next day I did a phone interview with a charming journalist, and lo and behold, I'm in the Saturday Review section of The Times. Jolly good stuff!

A close-up of the article. 

So you see why I have to thank Martin Amis.

But wait, there are many more people to thank. Hats off to Kimbofo of Reading Matters fame, who though having never met me in the flesh, went to the trouble to mail me a copy of the London Evening Standard (and thanks to her Other Half, who went to the trouble of getting the actual paper!). Thanks also to the adorable Lana Kindrachuk who lives in Germany, and contacted her friend Annie McCall in London, who also got copies of the London Evening Standard for me. A shout-out also to Lana's sister the fabulous Melanie Kindrachuk who also had a part to play in this exchange. Hugs to the lovely Kerry of Pickle Me This fame who is vacationing in England at this very moment, and managed to snag a copy of The Times to bring back home with her. Many thanks to the Town Crier, who publish my editorial cartoons, for doing a write-up about the Amis Affair. And finally, a big thank you to all the people who wrote such witty and wonderful comments on my blog post about Amis, as well as those who sent me lovely complimentary emails. The last few days have truly been delightful.

And really, when I think about it, we all should thank Mr. Amis. His ridiculous comments brought the creative and book-loving world together to passionately discuss some important topics – the value of children's literature, the differences (and similarities) between adult and children's fiction, and how much we truly value the minds of children. Think about it: this pompous, elitist, silly old grump actually started something rather wonderful.

So thank you, Mr. Amis. Now please shut yer festering gob, and go away.

I'm Drawn To You 5

 
A sketch of one of my favourite contemporary authors, Ian McEwan. And it's not just his writing which is so appealing. I've seen various film clips online of McEwan talking about this and that, and the impression that I take away is one of a  man who is highly intelligent, self-depricating and gentle. Someone you'd love to have over for tea, and if you play your cards right,  a wee bit of snogging.

BiblioQuotes 14

"Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, quick, and generally congenial readers on earth."

– E.B. White

Only a Brain Injury Could Make Me Draw Martin Amis

Well, perhaps that's an exaggeration. I mean, I don't think I have a brain injury, and look what I've gone and done – drawn a whack of cartoons of this silly man. Never mind that I also draw and write for kids. Yikes – I must have a brain injury!

For those not in the know, Martin Amis recently made some silly comments on a BBC book programme called Falks on Fiction. In a nutshell, here's what Amis said that's got some folks cheesed off:

People ask me if I ever thought of writing a children's book. I say, 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book', but otherwise the idea of being conscious of who you're directing the story to is anathema to me, because, in my view, fiction is freedom and any restraints on that are intolerable. I would never write about someone that forced me to write at a lower register than what I can write.

I can see why folks in the kidlit world would be offended by this, but really, this isn't the first time Amis has spouted such idiocy, and it certainly won't be the last. That's what this lad is known for. He says something stupid, and then people pay attention to him. We should all just ignore this wanker and move on to more important stuff. Unless, of course, Amis' utter wankerness inspires some creative fun. So it got me thinking: Perhaps Mr. Amis just needs to 'get into' some classic kidlit characters in order to truly appreciate the beauty of children's literature:

Hmmm...The Cat in the Hat, perhaps?

No, I think Amis is more Grinch than Cat in the Hat.

I bet deep down inside, Martin Amis has always wanted to dress up like Madeline...

 

You can never go wrong when you go Moomin, Martin.

 
Would you let this Pigeon drive the bus?

I wonder if Amis has ever felt like a Wimpy Kid...

If only Amis was as Curious as George, then he'd make the effort to understand the fine art of creating children's literature.

 
If you found this Bear at the Paddington Station, would you take him home with you?

 
We all know Amis was a Wild Thing in his youth, but these days? Meh.

 
I think Mr. Amis needs to take some lessons from the sweet and lovely Lola of Charlie and Lola fame.

Would Amis have to be Mad as a Hatter to want to write for children?

 
Meh. Enough of this silliness. Tip your hat to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and let's call it a day.

My sincere apologies to all the authors and illustrators who took part in my silly fun – it's only because I love your work so much that I chose you as part of my spoof.

You Need To Know This, Too

Random Readings 34

She should have done science, not spent all her time with her head in novels. Novels gave you a completely false idea about life, they told lies and they implied there were endings when in reality there were no endings, everything just went on and on and on.

— from Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

You Need To Know This

Happy Groundhog Day!

  
Get out there and hug a groundhog!