But then Martin Amis has a long history of finding himself at the center of controversy.

WSJ: Martin Amis Foiled by the Godparent Trap

You might also want to read Christopher Hitchens's letter on the subject Mr. Hitchens is a friend of Mr. Amis's, was a pal of Mr. Boxer's, and he was there in the hospital too, puffing away, as is his wont.

WSJ: Martin Amis Foiled by the Godparent Trap

But the two languages also have a number of faux amis, friends so false that they will provoke many an embarrassing misunderstanding.

ECONOMIST: Two nations with a common language

This is a cosmic joke told by Martin Amis.

NEWYORKER: Dead Man Laughing

Mr. Wylie went on to sell Mr. Amis's novel "The Information" for a cool half a million pounds.

WSJ: Martin Amis Foiled by the Godparent Trap

He proceeds more or less chronologically, following Amis from his suburban London childhood to Oxford, a series of academic posts in Britain and America, and then back to London again.

ECONOMIST: Kingsley Amis

He draws judiciously on a huge amount of material, both by and about Amis.

ECONOMIST: Kingsley Amis

Kingsley Amis wrote in The James Bond Dossier in 1965 that we are not particularly interested in Bond as a character.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The key to understanding Christopher Hitchens is that his friends were a kind of aristocracy to him, and his close friends (like the author Martin Amis) were members of the royal family.

FORBES: Christopher Hitchens, As I Knew Him

Martin Amis is one of the literary world's most celebrated and controversial authors ("Money: A Suicide Note, " "London Fields" and his latest, "The Pregnant Widow"), with contentious views on everything from religion to beauty and politics.

WSJ: Editor's Letter

The conference call will discuss a report on agricultural prices requested by France, it was compiled by the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).

BBC: Food price fears prompt plans for emergency talks