how to: Literary Greats: Martin Amis in conversation with Gaby Wood

The Zone of Interest , Martin Amis’ new novel, is a tale of love in a hopeless place. While his earlier work Time's Arrow dealt with the Holocaust’s unadulterated horrors by inverting time and depicting it backwards, The Zone of Interest plunges the reader straight into a surrogate Auschwitz.
Following a civilian observer as he falls for the Commandant’s wife, it straddles the boundaries between tragedy and farce. Amis’ usual elastic wit and adept mutations of the English language are refined to perfection, here matched with a deep-seated interest in the human soul and the nightmarish truths behind evil. Critics have already declared it amongst his finest works. A standard ticket to the talk includes a complementary hardback copy.
The how to: Academy is offering a rare opportunity to see Amis, who is now resident in the US, in London. Amis is known as a droll interlocutor, peppering his conversation with pithy wisdoms and witticisms that enliven even the most serious discussion. Along with The Zone of Interest, expect to hear about Amis’ life in America, his wild past life and the celebrated novel London Fields , which turns twenty-five this year. Gaby Wood, author and head of Telegraph Books, will conduct the interview.