Een regelrechte Martin Amis

Upon reading of the death of Martin Amis a month ago, I thought it was a good idea to give him a tribute by reading one of his still unread novels which I have on my book shelves. My feelings towards Martin Amis have always been two-fold: great admiration for his often astonishing poetic sentences and clever reflections but, at the same time, a huge irritation for his often grotesque and insulting remarks and observations. Well, this proved to be the most inappropriate novel to choose for this occasion. Death ruled the novel from beginning to end and vice versa.

The novel gives us an account of the life story of Doctor Tod Friendly from his demise to his birth and it proved to be quite shocking to see events revolving in a reverse order. How appropriate that the docter’s name is ‘Tod’ which, of course, is Death in German. Tod Friendly had fled to America and found a job in a decent medical practice. As the tale is told strictly backwards, one has to admire the close attention Martin Amis deployed to details. The doctor first recuperates patients who subsequently get worse. It is very confronting to read in great detail how Friendly’s patients proceed to the worst in reverse. I thought one scene was in particular quite loathsome as you got a minute description of an abortion performed by our good doctor.
The story then goes on deeper in the past and we find Tod Friendly on a ship heading to Portugal and onwards to Rome where he gets transfer papers from a connection at the Vatican. Oh dear! Subsequently, his name is changed once again, now to Odilo Unverdorben (Odious Unspoilt?) so he is ready to travel to Germany and there onwards to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he is employed under the inspiring supervision of Dr Mengele (‘Uncle Pepi’). Odilo’s particular job is at the Sprinklerroom and he likes to monitor proceedings through a split in the wall to see how long it takes after the release of Zyklon B for the people to rise again as living beings. And on he goes, marries, goes to school, is a three year old and is about to be born.

In the end one wonders whether this novel was meant as an entertainment and whether Martin Amis enjoyed to write these gruesome scenes. Perhaps he did. But what does it say about his readers, like myself, who keep being fascinated to read his novels even when you often just wanted to throw them really hard against a wall in disgust. But, then, you just continue because he seduces you with such excellent and outrageous tales.

I think Martin Amis would nod in agreement to this quote of Cormac McCarthy:

‘“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”

May Martin Amis rest in peace.