Kingsley Amis: The Old Devils
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It was a bit of a random choice for me to read this 1986 booker winner, considering the plot revolves around the antics of a group of semi-alcoholic Welsh pensioners. Maybe I was just trying to reconnect with my Welsh heritage or maybe it was just to give me some comeback to the some of the Welsh nationalists I have ended up being friends with. Not exactly nationalists, not burning down English farm house or anything, but PROUD Welsh men and women. Also it was the sort of book on my parent's book shelves, what with its evocative 1980's cover, it was perhaps nostalgia.
What first attracted me to the book, was a brief review in the Guardian or some other liberal arts supplement. There was a great quote the writer chose to illustrate the novel: 'Show me a Welsh nationalist, and I'll show you a cunt'. Written in the 80's it deals with a generation who feel slightly embarrassed about being Welsh but who are bombarded by the resurging Welsh nationalism of a younger generation. My granmother who lived in Swansea epitomised this attitude, she herself could not speak Welsh and looked down her nose at 'drink Welsh' even though she had lived her whole life in South Wales and was Welsh.
Another interesting aspect of the novel was Kingsley's rendering of the boredom of old age and retirement. He captures the suffocating reality of what it must be like to not actually have anything to do with oneself. His characters drink themself stupid every day to fill the time, binge eat and have meaningless affairs with other 60 year-olds. Amongst all the comedy there were these occaional moments of darkness and his depiction of old age was the most sympathetic I have read.
Unlike his son, Kingsley stuck to what he knew best comedy-writing. Although it is well-written it is a light-novel. None of the high minded post-modernism of young Martin, no thank you.
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