Visiting Martin Amis

The life of a famous novelist is viewed with speculation, reverie, and envy by admirers, and only a lucky few get to peek inside that window. When actress Julia Clinch wrote to author Martin Amis in 1987, she could never have imagined Amis would cast aside the shades and invite her in.

In the late '80s, Clinch's life took a turn for the literary when a letter she sent to Martin Amis on a whim landed her a two-day interview with the author at the height of his popularity. What followed were several years of friendship, stretching from West London all the way to Beverly Hills.

Now, Clinch shares that friendship with the world. Connections and private photos from Clinch's collection, and transcriptions of the original interview between the two are featured in this narrative collection.

Like U and I: A True Story, by Nicholson Baker, Clinch's Visiting Martin Amis examines her fascination with the famous writer and how that interest influenced a literary direction in her life. Clinch's memoirs are illuminating for fans of Martin Amis, Christopher Hitchens, Ian McEwan, and other British authors. The memoir includes her foreign travels and famous contacts in 1970s & 80s Hollywood.