I'm afraid the negative things are always the great subjects. Failure is much more interesting than success.
Martin AmisIt's good fun to create an unpredictable character. When he comes into the room, I don't know what he's going to do - I have to find my way.
Martin AmisStyle isn't something added on; it's intrinsic to the perceptions and the way you see life.
Martin AmisYou see tragedy requires persons of heroic stature. It works on the principle of people being more than humansuper-humanand also being only too human. But there just aren't many great figures around now, so the tragic mechanisms can't work.
Martin AmisOh Christ, the exhaustion of not knowing anything. It's so tiring and hard on the nerves. It really takes it out of you, not knowing anything. You're given comedy and miss all the jokes. Every hour you get weaker. Sometimes, as I sit alone in my flat in London and stare at the window, I think how dismal it is, how heavy, to watch the rain and not know why it falls.
Martin Amis