Information
by Martin Amis.
In this article, I am going to review the book “The Information”, by Martin Amis, published in 1995. It is a novel that explores the relationship between two writer friends, Richard Tull and Gwyn Barry, who become involved in a literary rivalry. and personal. The book is a satire of the publishing industry, fame, success and failure, and also a reflection on the role of information in contemporary society.
Consumed by envy and harassed by “the information” that comes to him at night, that rumor that begins to be heard at the age of forty and tells us of the certainty of death, Richard hatches a plan to annoy Gwyn. However, he does not know that the undertaking is nothing short of impossible, since the winners, like the idiots, are Olympian and invincible beings.
The novel has been described as dazzling, satirical and extremely funny, but with an undertone of absolute blackness. It addresses topics such as the passage of time, the relationship between literature and life, failure and death. Despite not being considered Amis’s best work, “The Information” has the narrative force of a great novel and is an example of the author’s talent and narrative skill.
The novel is divided into four parts: “The information”, “The crisis”, “Revenge” and “The secret”. In the first part, we are introduced to the two protagonists and their respective situations. Richard Tull is a failed writer, who has published several experimental novels that no one reads or understands. His marriage to Gina is in crisis, and he has two troublesome children. Gwyn Barry, on the other hand, is a successful writer, who has published a novel called “Amelior”, which has become a global best-seller. His wife is a beautiful French actress, and she has a life full of luxury and recognition.
Richard feels deep envy and resentment toward Gwyn, and begins searching for information about him to discredit him and ruin his career. In the second part, Richard discovers that Gwyn has a secret that could destroy his reputation: he is impotent. Richard decides to hire a private detective to obtain evidence of this fact, and also a literary critic to write a negative review of “Amelior.” However, his plans do not go as he expected, and he only manages to make his own situation worse.
In the third part, Richard decides to take direct action, and begins to sabotage Gwyn’s life in various ways: he sends her anonymous letters with threats and insults, steals her car and destroys it, puts a bomb in her house, etc But Gwyn seems immune to all this, and continues to reap success and admiration. Richard becomes increasingly obsessed with his revenge, and loses touch with reality.
In the fourth part, Richard discovers Gwyn’s true secret: he is not the author of “Amelior”, but rather he stole it from an unknown writer who died in a car accident. Richard confronts Gwyn with this information, but Gwyn confesses that he already knew everything from the beginning, and that he was just playing with him. Gwyn reveals to him that he is also impotent, and that his wife is cheating on him with another man. Richard realizes that he has been manipulated by Gwyn his entire life, and that his revenge is meaningless.
The book ends with Richard accepting his failure and mediocrity, and giving up his revenge. He reconciles with his wife and children, and decides to dedicate himself to writing a book about his experience. Gwyn, for his part, remains a famous writer, but also an unhappy and empty man.
“Information” is an acidic and witty novel, which portrays the literary world and its miseries with humor and irony. Martin Amis demonstrates his talent as a narrator and as a creator of complex and contradictory characters. The book raises interesting questions about the nature of information, the value of truth and lies, the meaning of success and failure, and the relationship between art and life.
In short, “The Information” is a provocative and thoughtful novel that offers a look at reality and human nature through the unique and controversial lens of Martin Amis. Although the work may be excessive and flawed in some aspects, as a whole it is an example of Amis’s talent and narrative skill, and is a recommended read for those interested in exploring deep and thoughtful themes.
Source: https://algunoslibrosbuenos.com/la-informacion
