The Anti-Egotist: Kingsley Amis, Man of Letters

by Paul Fussell

"Fussell is a wonderful writer," according to The Washington Post Book World , "at once elegant and earthy." With such books as Wartime and The Great War and Modern Memory , he established a reputation as an incisive critic with a razor-tipped pen. Now Paul Fussell turns his attention to one
of his own literary heroes, a man of similar acidic wit, Kingsley Amis.
In The Anti-Egotist , Fussell captures the essence of Amis as a man of letters--"a serious critic," as John Gross writes, "operating outside the academic fold." Part biography, part critical appraisal, The Anti-Egotist traces the influences that have shaped Amis's writing, ranging from his
schooldays through military service to university teaching, as he emerged as a novelist, poet, and essayist. By drawing our attention to the details first of Amis's life, then of his writing, Fussell reveals the profound moral sense that expresses itself so wonderfully in Amis's fiction and
criticism. He mixes affection with insight as he paints a highly personal portrait of Amis as writer who despises self-promotion in all its forms, savaging the world's show-offs and blowhards with a particularly sharp-toothed bite. Amis's criticism, too, shook the British literary world with his
"no-nonsense, can-the-bullshit tone," restoring skepticism and honesty to postwar English writing. Fussell guides us through Amis's immense output--portraying him as a book reviewer, custodian of language, gastronomic critic, anthologist, and poet--showing how his overriding concern is always for
the public, deriding pretensions that come at a cost to the audience. And the power of Amis's writing, from his humor to his deft characterization, rings through in page after page of Fussell's accurate and evocative assessments.
In recent years, Kingsley Amis has drawn considerable fire, thanks to his outspoken conservative opinions; many critics see him as little more than a crusty old curmudgeon. In The Anti-Egotist , Paul Fussell does the reading public a double favor in restoring the reputation of this important
he effortlessly captures the literary virtuosity that lifted Amis to fame, and he reveals the moral convictions that make this seeming curmudgeon more relevant than ever.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1994

About the author

Paul Fussell was an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings covered a variety of topics, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America’s class system. He was an U.S. Army Infantry officer in the European theater during World War II (103rd U.S. Infantry Division) and was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He is best known for his writings about World War I and II.

He began his teaching career at Connecticut College (1951–55) before moving to Rutgers University in 1955 and finally the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. He also taught at the University of Heidelberg (1957–58) and King’s College London (1990–92). As a teacher, he traveled widely with his family throughout Europe during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, taking Fulbright and sabbatical years in Germany, England and France.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice look at Kingsley Amis, mostly ignoring his novels in favor of his other writings, and taking off from the assumed public view that Amis was a rude reactionary. Fussell does make a strong case for Amis the anti-snob, who liked people (and books and food and writing and poetry) to be clear and unpretentious and fair and kind. He also downplays or ignores the less attractive judgments (about women, about the left) that Amis made, and seems to share Amis's general distaste for Modernism and reverence for good scholarship. And throughout it all, you sense that they both value a good sense of humor. In the end, it makes you want to go read Amis's nonfiction and poetry, which is the point, I guess.