Martin Amis - The Age of Horrorism

A day before the 5th anniversary of 9/11, Martin Amis has written a long-winded, yet important 12,000 word essay entitled '' The Age of Horrorism '' about the rise of extreme Islamism, in the Guardian. Amis's new book , " House of Meetings " will be out on the 28th of September 2006. A list of all his books , some interviews and a biography are at MartinAmisWeb. I am currently reading '' Yellow Dog '', his post 9/11 satire.

Update : October 1st : Guardian Interview : The Amis Papers

Martin Amis + The Age of Horrorism + House of Meetings

Iceberg Slim at Rodalquilar

Two rug munchers playing paddle ball at the edge of the scuzzy beach in Rodalquilar....one has salt and pepper hair, small dags and a 3'' thick, dense stripe of black bush.... the other with big pendulous east-westerlies that flop about on each paddle stroke and a regular black V... a 'perro de agua' yaps, skitting across the skanky reeds and the detritus on the sticky sand....the massage tent is full and greasy, as a pert bronzed set of puffies stroll by, bearing a tinge of vermillion lycra defining wobbly butt crack....the beach is violent with its jagged, sharp, barnacled rock entry... sea urchins on its floor greedily awaiting a tender footstep, as the last of the summer's wave of jellyfish float on...at the end a beautiful serenity oozes across the bay by dusk , yet by day retching angry mastiff jaws with miles of treacherous shallow depth.

Not far away in the scuzz, I lie reading 'Pimp - Iceberg Slim' - as he opens with being ''Georgied'' having his 3 year old face locked between Maude's thighs. " ... and most vividly I can remember my panic, when in the moment of her climax, she would savagely jerk my head even tighter into the hairy maw....I remember the ache of the strain on my fragile neck muscles, and especially at the root of my tongue ''. Pimp is a strong, violent, raw, ripe and fucking good book. Its brutality is not for the faint-hearted , and is extremely misogynistic. Iceberg has a very descriptive style and takes you deep into the stench and sweat of the 'cat' and his grim Chicago pimp world. a world with a language of its own... with a glossary at the back to guide you through Slim's prolific ghetto jive. It's well written and gripping, almost too well written at times (for a pimp !!??) though Iceberg Slim boasts an I.Q. of 175 ! 'Pimp' is suitably repugnant reading for the beach at Rodalquilar.

Iceberg Slim (aka Robert Beck ) was born as Robert Lee Maupin in 1918. He died in 1992. Slim also written the following books : Trick Baby + Long White Con + The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim + Airtight Willie and Me + Mama Black Widow + Death Wish + Doom Fox.

Iceberg Slim