CityLife

Martin Amis and Clive James to ponder the joys and perils of old age

Martin Amis

LIVE literature events in the city have been unusually thin on the ground following October’s Literature Festival, but thankfully Martin Amis can be relied on to up the ante with the final instalment of this year’s sensationally popular series of public events on 7 December.

Amis has become a staple on the live literature calendar over the last year with these intimate salon- style get-togethers where he is joined by various public figures and high profile writers such as Will Self, Al Alvarez and Melvyn Bragg to discuss how literature frames major contemporary issues.

This time he will be joined by  the well-loved Antipodean journalist, broadcaster and writer Clive James and the distinguished Australian born British poet Peter Porter to discuss the topic of ageing.

Amis turned 60 this year, and he recently spoke at a Guardian Hay Festival event about the problems faced by maturing writers once the ‘waterfall’ of creativity has begun to lose some of its force.

James and Porter are old friends and have recorded six series of dialogues for James’s radio programme on subjects such as Humour in English Literature and The Artist and Politics.

This event will take place on Monday 7 December at 6.30pm at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama on Oxford Road. Follow the link to the right of the page for tickets and more information.