Martin Amis dies at 73

Author passes away dies on day film adaptation of his book premiered in Cannes

by Amber Wilkinson

The Zone Of Interest, adapted from the novel by Martin Amis, who has died at 73
The Zone Of Interest, adapted from the novel by Martin Amis, who has died at 73 Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Author Martin Amis has died on the same day the adaptation of his novel The Zone Of Interest premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the New York Times has reported. He was 73.

The British writer - who followed in the footsteps of his author father Kingsley - saw his novels Dead Babies, The Rachel Papers, Out Of Blue and London Fields also adapted for the big screen. He has died at his home in Florida from oesphogeal cancer, his wife Isabella Fonesca was reported to have said.

The adaptation of The Zone Of Interest - which observes the lives of a family with an SS patriarch living just outside the walls of Auschwitz concentration camp - was directed by Jonathan Glazer and received a six-minute ovation at the festival last night. It stars Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel.

Amis' Money: A Suicide Note - which formed part of the London trilogy with London Fields and The Information - was adapted into a TV miniseries, starring Nick Frost and Emma Pierson.

The Twitter account of the Booker Prize posted: "We are saddened to hear that Martin Amis, one of the most acclaimed and discussed novelists of the past 50 years, has died. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Share this with others on...
News

Inviting curiosity Ildikó Enyedi on the value of science, perception, discovery and Silent Friend

Streaming Spotlight: the rites of Spring We shine our Beltane spotlight on films in which the old ways linger

Fighting fit for a debut feature Valéry Carnoy talks toxic masculinity, memory, confidence and Belgian 'soft-power'

Collective power We look ahead at the programme of this year's Folk Film Gathering

Writing hidden messages Arnaud Desplechin on guilt, melodrama, feeling haunted, and Two Pianos

Clever crafting with Idiots Chris Barfoot on his six-camera set up and three-day shoot of his debut feature

More news and features

We're bringing you news and reviews from the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and Queer East.



We're looking forward to Cannes.



We've recently brought you coverage of Visions du Réel, Fantaspoa, Overlook, BFI Flare and SXSW, the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, the NY Rendezvous with French Cinema, the Glasgow Film Festival, the Berlinale, Sundance and Palm Springs.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest from the spring events:


Cannes 16 titles added to line-up


Cannes Carla Simón heads short film jury


Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection


Cannes Payal Kapadia heads Critics' Week jury