Martin Amis

The life of Diego Armando Maradona, who died this week, will always remind us that the smell of shit is as important as the perfume of flowers, writes Niren Tolsi

Niven shows an obvious debt to Kingsley and Martin Amis in an enjoyable satire of the film industry, publishing and academia.

There is actually something rather affectionate in Martin Amis’s portrayal of Lionel Asbo, particularly in his tortured diction.