Amis, Kingsley

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British novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic.

From the description of Collection, 1933-1968. (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRC); University of Texas at Austin). WorldCat record id: 122492257

Kingsley Amis was a successful and productive English author. Born in London to a lower middle class family, he published his first story at eleven, and earned scholarships to the City of London School and St. John's College, Oxford. After serving in World War II, he accepted a teaching position and began publishing poetry. His first novel, Lucky Jim, was published in 1952 to great acclaim. Throughout his prolific and eclectic career, he wrote poetry, screenplays, short stories, essays, and criticism, but is best remembered for his satirical novels in diverse genres. His novels are distinguished by their biting humor, lucid style, traditional values, and working-class sensibility.

From the description of Kingsley Amis letters, clippings, and related materials, 1955-1967. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 61113008

Kingsley Amis -- British novelsit, poet and critic -- was born in Claphem and educated at the City of London School and St. John's College, Oxford. He lectured in English at Swansea and then Cambridge.

During the 1940's and 1950's, Amis became associated with writers known as the Angry Young Men and poets of the Movement. He published his first volume of poetry, Bright November in 1947, and his Collected poems, 1944-79. Amis has also written 14 novels, achieving popular recognition with Lucky Jim (1954). His most recent novel, The old devils (1986), was awarded the Booker Prize. Amis has written fiction about the supernatural, The green man (1969), and criticism of science fiction: New maps of hell (1969) and The golden age of science fiction (1981).

From the description of Letters, 1961-1973. (Temple University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 122635651

English author, born on April 16,1922, the son of William Robert and Rosa Annie (Lucas) Amis. Amis achieved both popularity and critical acclaim with his first novel, Lucky Jim, whose publication in 1953 instantly marked Amis as a major comic novelist. His many subsequent works have revealed him to be an author of extraordinary range and versatility. His essays, poems, and short stories have been published in magazines, journals, and collected editions. His novels include That Uncertain Feeling (1955), I Like It Here (1958), Take a Girl Like You (1960), One Fat Englishman (1963), The Anti-Death League (1966), Ending Up (1974), and Jake's Thing (1978). He has also written a number of genre novels, such as Colonel Sun (a spy thriller, 1968), The Green Man (a ghost story, 1969), and The Riverside Villas Murder (a mystery, 1973).

Amis' 1986 novel, The Old Devils, received Britain's prestigious Booker Prize. His final three books are The Folks That Live on the Hill (1990), Memoirs (1991), and The Biographer's Moustache (1995). Amis was married first to Hilary Ann Bardwell in 1948 and divorced in 1965; he married the novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard in 1965 and was divorced in 1983. He has three children from his first marriage: Philip Nicol William Amis, the author Martin Louis Amis, and Sally Myfanwy Amis. Amis passed away on October 22, 1995.

From the description of Papers of Kingsley Amis, 1941-1995. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122383307

Epithet: author

Title: Knight

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000787.0x0000c3

Biographical Note

Kingsley Amis was born in London on April 16, 1922, the son of William Robert and Rosa Annie (Lucas) Amis. Following service in the British Army from 1942 to 1945 and first-class honors in English at St. John's College, Oxford, Amis was a lecturer in English at University College of Swansea, Wales, from 1949 to 1961. He subsequently became a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge University, 1961-1963, and held visiting professorships at Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities.

Amis achieved both popularity and critical acclaim with his first novel, Lucky Jim, whose publication in 1953 instantly marked Amis as a major comic novelist. His many subsequent works have revealed him to be an author of extraordinary range and versatility. His essays, poems, and short stories have been published in magazines, journals, and collected editions. His novels include That Uncertain Feeling (1955), I Like It Here (1958), Take a Girl Like You( 1960), One Fat Englishman (1963), The Anti-Death League (1966), Ending Up (1974), Jake's Thing (1978), and The Folks That Live on the Hill (1990. He has also written a number of genre novels, such as Colonel Sun (a spy thriller, 1968), The Green Man (a ghost story, 1969), and The Riverside Villas Murder (a mystery, 1973). Amis' 1986 novel, The Old Devils, received Britain's prestigious Booker Prize. His final three books are The Folks That Live on the Hill (1990), Memoirs( 1991), and The Biographer's Moustache (1995).

Amis was married first to Hilary Ann Bardwell in 1948 and divorced in 1965; he married the novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard in 1965 and was divorced in 1983. He had three children from his first marriage: Philip Nicol William Amis, the author Martin Louis Amis, and Sally Myfanwy Amis. Amis passed away on October 22, 1995.

From the guide to the Kingsley Amis Papers, 1941-1995, (The Huntington Library)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Tom Stoppard Papers Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Harper's Magazine Records, 1847-1983, (bulk 1940-1983) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn William Van O'Connor Papers, 1943-1967 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
creatorOf JOHN AMIS CORRESPONDENCE: letters, principally from musicians but with some literary and other figures, to John Amis; 1942-1991, n.d. Correspondents include Sir Michael Tippett (25 letters), Luigi Nono (4), Dmitrii Shostakovich (2) and Dame Edith Sit..., 1942-1991 British Library
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley. Autograph manuscript notebook of poems : Oxford, 1948 Mar. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Papers of Robert Graves: Critical prose and journalism, 1927 to 2003 St John's College, Oxford
referencedIn Mysterious Press. Mysterious Press collection, ca. 1976-1992 Ohio State University Libraries
referencedIn Larkin, Philip. Letters (30) : Hull and Oxford, to Vernon and Gwen Watkins, 1957-1977. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Correspondence and papers relating to Reinhardt’s membership of the Garrick Club. Includes: Printed speech by George Malcolm Thomson on the occasion of his 85th birthday on 2 Aug 1984. Menus and seating plans for dinners in honour of George Malcolm ..., 1984-2006 British Library
creatorOf Kingsley Amis Papers, 1941-1995 The Huntington Library
creatorOf Vol. i (ff. 139). Abrahamsen -Martland.includes:f. 1 Art. Portraits: Hans Abrahamsen, composer: Photograph of H. Abrahamsen with M. Vyner: 1982.ff. 2-4 Hans Abrahamsen, composer: Letters to M. Vyner from Hans Abrahamsen: 1985-1987: Partly signed... British Library
referencedIn Correspondence, contracts and press cuttings of reviews relating to Sir Kingsley Amis’ We are all guilty, published by Reinhardt, 1991. Includes a copy of a cutting from TV Times with the cast list of the first version of the novel as a television pl..., 1990-1993 British Library
referencedIn Letters of Kingsley Amis to Philip Larkin, 1944-85 Bodleian Library, Oxford
referencedIn Ackerley, J. R. (Joe Randolph), 1896-1967. Joe Randolph Ackerley - Patricia Murphy correspondence, 1951-1968. The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library
referencedIn Donald and Katharine Foley Collection of Penguin Books, 1935-1965 Bancroft Library
creatorOf Muggeridge, Malcolm, 1903-1990. Papers, 1920-1990. Wheaton College, Buswell Memorial Library
creatorOf Randel, William Peirce, 1909-. Papers, 1941-1992. Raymond H. Fogler Library
creatorOf Boucher, Anthony, 1911-1968. Papers, 1932-1969 Indiana University
creatorOf Giler, David. Spirits : screenplay / by David Giler. Texas State University-San Marcos, Albert B. Alkek Library
referencedIn Jupiter Recordings Ltd. Jupiter Recordings Ltd. records, 1955-1970 (majority 1958-1963) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley, 1922-. Collection, 1933-1968. Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn M. L. Rosenthal Papers, ca. 1930-1996 Fales Library & Special Collections
referencedIn Bradbury, M. mss. III, 1950-2000 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
referencedIn New Yorker records New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Writers in education questionnaire annotated responses, and photographs, 1979-1996 Pennsylvania State University Libraries
referencedIn Papers of Robert Graves: Correspondence (arranged by correspondent), c1909 to 2004 St John's College, Oxford
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley. Letters, 1961-1973. Temple University Libraries, Paley Library
creatorOf Tragara Press. Papers, 1953-1996. Dartmouth College Library
referencedIn Lucille Lortel papers The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
referencedIn White mss., 1932-1969 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
referencedIn Max Reinhardt papers, 1899-2006 British Library: Western Manuscripts
referencedIn Princeton University. Graduate School. The Gauss Seminars In Criticism records, 1949-1981. Princeton University Library
creatorOf Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964. Letters, 1917-1960. University of Iowa Libraries
creatorOf Kronenberger, Louis, 1904-1980. Papers, 1940-1981. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley. Kingsley Amis letters, clippings, and related materials, 1955-1967. Pennsylvania State University Libraries
referencedIn Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968. Autograph and typed letters signed (18) : Florence, Paris, New York, London, Discover Cottage (Bruton, Somerset), and [n.p.], to Graham and Dorothy Watson, 1954-1966 and [n.d.]. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley. Papers of Kingsley Amis, 1941-1995. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Pudney, John, 1909-1977. Papers, 1850-1977 (bulk 1926-1976). Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
creatorOf MARGARET GARDINER PAPERS. Vol. I (ff. 163). Correspondence and papers; 1962-1965. 1. ff. 1-17. Nuclear disarmament; 1962-1964. 2. ff. 18-82v. British writers' protest on Vietnam; 1965. 3. ff. 83-163. West European artists' protest on Vietnam; 1965.in..., 1962-1965 British Library
creatorOf Engle, Paul, 1908-1991. Paul Engle papers, 1930-1991. Coe College, Stewart Memorial Library
creatorOf Howard, Elizabeth Jane. Papers of Elizabeth Jane Howard, 1933-2009. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Amis, Kingsley. Russian hide-and-seek : a melodrama / Kingsley Amis. Dallas Public Library, Central Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Ackerley, J. R. (Joe Randolph), 1896-1967. person
associatedWith Aldiss, Brian Wilson, 1925- person
associatedWith Amis, Martin. person
associatedWith Betjeman, John, Sir, 1906-. person
associatedWith Bodleian Library corporateBody
associatedWith Boucher, Anthony, 1911-1968. person
associatedWith Bradbury, Malcolm, 1932-2000 person
associatedWith British Broadcasting Corporation. corporateBody
associatedWith Brownjohn, Alan, 1931- person
associatedWith Conquest, Robert. person
associatedWith Dick, Philip. person
associatedWith Engle, Paul, 1908-1991. person
associatedWith Foley, Donald L. person
associatedWith Foley, Katharine person
associatedWith Fussell, Paul, 1924- person
associatedWith Gale, George Stafford. person
associatedWith Gardner, Derek, person
associatedWith Giler, David. person
associatedWith Graves, Robert Ranke, 1895-1985 person
associatedWith Graves, Robert Windham, 1858-1934 person
associatedWith HarperCollins (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Harper's Magazine corporateBody
associatedWith Howard, Elizabeth Jane. person
associatedWith Jacobs, Eric. person
correspondedWith Jupiter Recordings Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Kronenberger, Louis, 1904-1980. person
associatedWith Larkin, Philip. person
associatedWith Lohf, Kenneth A., person
associatedWith Lortel, Lucille person
associatedWith Melly, George, 1926-2007. person
associatedWith Muggeridge, Malcolm, 1903-1990. person
associatedWith Mysterious Press. corporateBody
correspondedWith New Yorker Magazine, Inc corporateBody
associatedWith O'Connor, William Van, 1915-1966 person
associatedWith Osborne, John, 1929-1994. person
associatedWith Oxford University Press. corporateBody
associatedWith Penguin (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Powell, Anthony, 1905-2000. person
associatedWith Powell, Violet Georgiana, Lady, 1912- person
associatedWith Priestley, J. B. (John Boynton), 1894-1984. person
associatedWith Princeton University. Graduate School. corporateBody
associatedWith Pudney, John, 1909-1977. person
associatedWith Randel, William Peirce, 1909- person
associatedWith Random House (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Saddler, Donald person
associatedWith Salwak, Dale. person
associatedWith Simon and Schuster, inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Sitwell, Edith, 1887-1964. person
associatedWith Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968. person
associatedWith Stoppard, Tom. person
associatedWith Thatcher, Margaret. person
associatedWith Thomas, Dylan, 1914-1953. person
associatedWith Thwaite, Anthony. person
associatedWith Tragara Press. corporateBody
associatedWith Vaizey, John, 1929- person
associatedWith Wilson, Colin, 1931- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Great Britain
United States
Great Britain
Subject
Authors, English
Authors, English
Bond, James
Detective and mystery stories, English
English literature
Poets, English
Jazz
Male authors, English
Science fiction, English
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1922-04-16

Death 1995-10-22

Britons

English

Information

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Ark ID: w6mk6d1z

SNAC ID: 29209602