Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology

Book Description

The philosophy of religion and the quest for spiritual truth preoccupied Albert Einstein--so much that it has been said "one might suspect he was a disguised theologian." Nevertheless, the literature on the life and work of Einstein, extensive as it is, does not provide an adequate account of his religious conception and sentiments. Only fragmentarily known, Einstein's ideas about religion have been often distorted both by atheists and by religious groups eager to claim him as one of their own. But what exactly was Einstein's religious credo? In this fascinating book, the distinguished physicist and philosopher Max Jammer offers an unbiased and well-documented answer to this question.

The book begins with a discussion of Einstein's childhood religious education and the religious atmosphere--or its absence--among his family and friends. It then reconstructs, step by step, the intellectual development that led Einstein to the conceptions of a cosmic religion and an impersonal God, akin to "the God of Spinoza." Jammer explores Einstein's writings and lectures on religion and its role in society, and how far they have been accepted by the general public and by professional theologians like Paul Tillich or Frederick Ferré. He also analyzes the precise meaning of Einstein's famous dictum "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind," and why this statement can serve as an epitome of Einstein's philosophy of religion.

The last chapter deals with the controversial question of whether Einstein's scientific work, and in particular his theory of relativity, has theologically significant implications, a problem important for those who are interested in the relation between science and religion. Both thought-provoking and engaging, this book aims to introduce readers, without proselytizing, to Einstein's religion.

Customer Reviews:

what did he think?.......2007-01-18

By some accounts Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was the greatest theoretical physicist of the twentieth century, if not of all time. Max Jammer, Professor of Physics Emeritus and former Rector at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, has written an eminently readable account of Einstein's thoughts on religion, a subject that he insists has been ignored by the over 400 books on Einstein published in the last several decades. Einstein renounced accusations that he was an atheist, and railed against the intolerance of those whom he called "the fanatical atheists." In his three long chapters Jammer portrays Einstein as "undogmatic and yet profoundly religious."

In his first chapter Jammer treats the role of religion in Einstein's private life. Born to what he described as "entirely irreligious Jewish parents," Einstein attended a Catholic primary school where like all students he received religious instruction. From the influences of nature and music he developed pronounced religious feelings quite early, although by age twelve he became estranged from institutional religion (although not from religion as he would define it) through reading some popular scientific books. His first wife, Mileva Maric, was Greek Orthodox, and his last wishes were to be cremated rather than to be buried in any religious tradition. Einstein was decidedly irreligious in the sense that he rejected any and all institutional affiliations, never attended worship services or prayed, rejected all dogmatic theology (eg, miracles, the afterlife or prayer), did not believe that God was in any sense personal, and was a strict determinist. But he found it impossible not to think of himself as religious in the sense of humility and awe at the mystery, rationality and complexity of nature: "the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility." Behind the mystery of nature there seemed to be some superior intelligence: "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings."

Chapter two explores what Einstein wrote about religion (he studiously avoided using the word "theology"). As a convinced determinist Einstein did not believe in human free will. He viewed science and religion as complementary rather than as antagonistic, seen in his famous aphorism that "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Science cannot determine ethics or inform us of ultimate purpose or meaning, thought Einstein, for "knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be." Science could never, then, displace or supercede religion. In his final and longest chapter, Jammer examines the possible ramifications of Einstein's theory of relativity and rejection of quantum mechanics ("God," wrote Einstein in 1926, "does not play dice.") for theological ideas like time, eternity, creation ex nihilo, and the Big Bang. Einstein himself rather disingenuously denied that there was any relationship between his physics and theology.

Well-known for his aversion to social convention and defiance of authority, Einstein used a paradox to summarize his personal beliefs and professional thoughts about religion. About a year before he died Einstein wrote in a letter that he understood himself to be a "deeply religious unbeliever." He rejected any and all notions of traditional, institutional religion, but he just as vociferously repudiated atheists who tried to claim him for their cause. Rather, he embraced something like grateful and humble Cosmic Awe at the beauty and complexity of the world he strove so mightily to understand.

Eintein and Religion: Physics and Theology.......2005-08-28

Do not be deceived by the welcoming jacket on this book. This is primarily an academic text.

The subtitle is "physics and theology" and not the other way around. This may be deliberate, because although the book actually starts with an emphasis on theology it evolves (or devolves, depending on your perspective) into a treatise on advanced physics.

Despite Jammer's sometimes ackward English and despite the fact that portions read like a master's thesis in philosophy - the book is most accessible on the theological side. The reader gets insight into the spiritual side of Einstein. Jammer shows conclusively that Einstein did believe in God and does a reasonably good job presenting the philisophical underpinnings of Einstein's beliefs.

Unless you have studied advanced quantum physics the second part of this book is very tough going.

Criticisms.......2005-04-21

I think Jammer has not done a thorough enough job on Einstein's denial of free will. I have many books on and about Einstein and I know of many instances in which he made his strict determinism clear. Here is room for improvement.

Jammer is wrong to imply that Einstein's initial belief in a static universe was the result of reading Spinoza. The fact is, many scientists at the time believed in a static universe, and probably most of them had never read Spinoza. Indeed, when Hubble showed that our universe was (and still is) expanding, the scientifc community was taken by surprise. I don't think Spinoza had anything to do with this.

Jammer has said little about the importance of Hume and Schopenhauer to Einstein's philosophical and scientific views. This is a mistake. Hume and Schopenhauer were at least as important to Einstein as Spinoza. The neglect of Schopenhauer may have something to do with the philosopher's antisemitism. But Schopenhauer remained Einstein's favorite philosopher. In his study Einstein had pictures of Newton, Maxwell, Faraday, and Schopenhauer - the sole philosopher of the lot. Einstein quoted from him often on a wide range of subjects. If Schopenhauer was an antisemite, that's because he was such a misanthrope. In fact, he disliked Germans even more (and he was one of them).

I agree that locality and determinism were two of Einstein's fundamental beliefs. Jammer reports with glee that locality has been proven wrong. So therefore determinism may also be wrong, he seems to imply. But according to John Bell, nonlocality may actually prove strict determinism to be right! (I don't believe Einstein was wrong about determinism as an objective fact, even though his interpretation of quantum mechanics may be wrong. The fact is, Heisenberg uncertainty shows up only during measurements; isolated systems are strictly deterministic. Of course, no one knows where this uncertainty comes from - hence the mystery.)

I think that on the whole this book is good. But Jammer places far too much emphasis on Einstein's "Religion without science is blind; science without religion is lame" as though this remark, probably made tongue in cheek, summarized Einstein's religious views. I doubt it. Even if it does, this by no means imply this is an unassailable truth. Steven Weinberg believes that science and religion are antagonistic, one representing knowledge, the other representing ignorance. I agree with Weinberg.

A fascinating book (with some criticisms of my own).......2005-03-24

I think Jammer does us a fine service by writing a book about a subject that is too often neglected. Not that Einstein's religious views were ever unknown, but it is surprising that this seems to be the first book devoted to this subject.

The exchanges between Einstein and Rabbi Geller are for me an important new piece of information (see pp. 85-86), as is Einstein's denial of free will in his letter to Besso (p. 87). But interestingly, Jammer neglects to mention Einstein's letter to Otto Juliusburger, who in 1946 tried to assess Hitler's responsibility for the Holocaust. Einstein's reply would not now be considered politically correct (at least in Jammer's Israel): "You take a definite stance on Hitler's responsibility... Objectively, there is after all no free will. What need is there for a criterion for responsibility?" Einstein was of course a sworn enemy of Hitler (and so should he be). But this statement is so amazing that I think Jammer was wrong to omit it. He should have quoted this statement, while emphasizing that Einstein blamed Hitler and the Germans for their evil deeds and he never forgave them. (Most of these quotes, especially if from private letters, are kept in the multi-volume "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein" published by Princeton UP and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.)

In one of the more interesting quotes in this book, Einstein believed quantum mechanics has no practically relevant impact on his deterministic view of life-events. But in this connection Jammer fails to mention how Bohr's complementarity could be applied to Einstein's determinism with satisfactory results - even though Jammer has a third of the book devoted to speculation about how science now affects philosophical and religious matters. (Despite this, there are some important Einstein quotes in this chapter as well.)

It is obvious that Einstein rejected the notion that quantum uncertainty undermines his denial of free will because he rejected quantum mechanics itself. Jammer points out that Einstein was wrong about locality, which was one of his main objections to quantum mechanics. Jammer cites Bell's theorem (p. 226) and the Aspect experiments as proving nonlocality, and claims that Einstein's belief in locality and his determinism are two basic tenets of his philosophy, as they indeed appear to be. But Jammer's implication seems to be that if Einstein got locality wrong, perhaps he was completely wrong about quantum mechanics, hence about quantum uncertainty, thus about determinism, thus about...his denial of free will? In other words, if Einstein was wrong about locality, he might have been wrong about determinism too. If Einstein was mistaken about one basic tenet of his philosophy, what makes us think he was right about the other? What Jammer fails to realize is that it was John Bell himself who said that strict determinism could well be the only way to make nonlocality compatible with all those horrible paradoxes like faster-than-light signals which contradict Special Relativity. In Bell's opinion, Einstein might have been wrong about nature being local, but strict determinism of which Einstein was always convinced might not be wrong after all. This is such an important point that I think Jammer should have discussed it, especially in Chapter 3, where he discusses his (Jammer's) own views on Einstein's philosophy.

On a more trivial note, Jammer is wrong that Einstein picked up his denial of the freedom of the will from Spinoza. The fact is, Einstein got this idea first from Schopenhauer, then from Hume, and only later from Spinoza. I was disappointed how Jammer has throughout this book neglected the importance of Schopenhauer and Hume in Einstein's philosophical and religious development. I would agree though that Einstein's "cosmic religion" came from Spinoza.

Jammer is at pains to emphasize that he doesn't proselytize or paddle any religious or sectarian viewpoints. He succeeds in this regard, in my opinion. What he does clearly try to convey, though, is the impression that religion in general and science are not in conflict, and he quotes Einstein's facetiously ambiguous statement "Science without religion is blind; religion with science is lame" (or something to this effect) to prove this point, almost ad nauseum. I'm not sure Jammer has convinced me. But Einstein's statements about religion are often ambiguous and confusing enough to provide plenty of material for someone with a secret ax to grind to quote from. On the other hand, Einstein was quite adamant and clear in (1) his determinism, (2) his denial of the immortality of the soul (which Einstein did not believe exist apart from the brain), and (3) his denial of a personal God. Jammer does a good job of faithfully reporting these views. This is not as easy a task as it seems, because (1) clearly conflicts with the deeply held beliefs of most people and the basic dogmas of Christian, Catholic, and Jewish religions; because (3) conflicts with all major religions excepting Buddhism; and because (2) conflicts with ALL religions, past and present. So I think Jammer has shown his competence here.

A "B-" effort. I hope someday someone will come up with an even better one. Right now this is the best we have.

Excellent discussion of an impersonal God.......2003-02-10

Three chapters: two for the everyman and one for the brave physicist/mathematician. The first two chapters are an excellent discourse on a Universal and Logical but impersonal God, the creator of the Universe. Well worth reading for those confused by the inconsistencies in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Places forgiveness, ethics and morality squarely on the shoulders of the individual. And chapter three really nails it down even though it required six reads for this mathematician.

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Einstein World

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Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World
Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader
Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader
finding words
Will be referenced a thousand years from now

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Einstein World
Rabbi David W. Nelson
Manufacturer: Jewish Lights Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580232523

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Hear the Voices of Ancient Wisdom in the Modern Language of Science

Ancient traditions, whose only claim to authenticity is that they are old, run the risk of becoming old-fashioned. But if an ancient tradition can claim to be not only ancient but also timeless and contemporary, it has a far greater chance of convincing each new, young generation of its value. Such a claim requires that each generation's retelling use the new metaphors of the new generation. —from Chapter 1

In our era, we often feel that we can either speak about God or think scientifically about the world, but never both at the same time. But what if we reconciled the two? How could the basic scientific truths of how the natural world came to be shape our understanding of our own spiritual search for meaning?

In this provocative fusion of religion and science, Rabbi David Nelson examines the great theories of modern physics to find new ways for contemporary people to express their spiritual beliefs and thoughts. Nelson explores cosmology, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, relativity, and string theory in clear, non-technical terms and recasts the traditional views of our ancestors in language that can be understood in a world in which space flight, atom-smashing, and black holes are common features of our metaphorical landscape.

Judaism, Physics and God reframes Judaism so that it is in harmony with the conquests of modern scientific thinking, and introduces fascinating new ways to understand your relationship with God in context of some of the most exciting scientific ideas of the contemporary world.

Customer Reviews:

Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World.......2005-08-10

This book ranks in the top five books I have ever read! The author has taken the most complex ideas and theories and made them understandable to me. I have no science background, but I could understand what he said. For the first time in my life, I had an idea of what Einstein's theory of relativity is all about. I will refer over and over again to this book. It is one of the best I have read on such complex things.

Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader.......2005-06-06

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Ein-stein World strives to answer the question, "If we can't see it or prove it, how can we believe it?" Leading the reader on a journey through both the ideas of modern physics and the ancient teachings of rabbinic text, Judaism, Physics and God stresses that faith and scientific insight do not need to be mutually exclusive. Chapters explore cosmology and creation, quantum mechanics, Albert Enstein's theories of special relativity, general relativity and Jewish meaning, string theory, and integrating new metaphors and scientific awareness into traditional Jewish life. As meticulous in its research of sacred Judaic texts and philosophy as it is of modern physics, yet presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader striving to better understand complex concepts, Judaism, Physics And God is a welcome addition to religious debate and studies shelves. Highly recommended.

Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader.......2005-06-06

finding words.......2005-04-30

Judaism Physics and God
Searching for sacred metaphors in a post Einstein World

A shema:
"THE LORD OUR GOD; THE LORD IS A SINGULARITY." (Not one;-in fact God is the big bang.)

Well worth the read. Rabbi Nelson has a very user friendly style of writing. He is able to link traditional Jewish words and motifs with today's language (scientific mindsets) of atoms and particles. Rabbi Nelson has built a very strong bridge to show where there is linkage through the passionate creative use of language-metaphors. He has also taken it one step further to give texture and depth to everyday acts. By assuming all things began at the big bang; then knowing/thinking that we all began as star dust embodies everything with holiness.

Nelson also lays out the dark side/ challenges of new scientific insights. If nothing is knowable for certain, as quantum physics states, then an all knowing God becomes an open question. Maybe the really difficult answer is that God is not all knowing. The implication of that insight for man-God relations is hard.

My only regret about the book is that the books' section on String Theory. Nelson's continued efforts at finding metaphors that reconcile our traditional language and science limit him. I would have been interested in Rabbi Nelson working with String Theory as a new challenge to both cosmology and Judaism. The harmonics of String theory and the transcendent nature of God would have been an interesting discussion.

In his next book (using the quality of this book and predictability theory) I hope Rabbi Nelson is able to address the connection between modern neurological, bio-chemistry and God in a unified religious theory......

Will be referenced a thousand years from now.......2005-04-18

This is one of the most interesting and important books on Religion and philosophy that has been published since Einstein had to reconcile his discoveries with his beliefs.

Much of Judaism (and., by extension, Christianity) operates through the use of metaphors to bring us closer to God. God is described as a Shepard, as a King, as our Father, as our Rock, and as Light, just as a few examples. By definition, a metaphor illuminates but does not fully describe-- any of us can think of what aspects of a father we would ascribe to God, and what aspects of a father (growing old and dying) we would not ascribe to God.

At one level, Rabbi Nelson in this book asks what metaphors from physics- specifically post-Newtonian physics-- can we use to illuminate G-d? His metaphors are fascinating: to cite one example, he asks us to consider God as the Light. God is often described as "Light" in prayers. God is also described as timeless-- a thousand years is but an instant to God according to the Rabbis. Well, physics happens to describe Light as timeless as well- photons from the big bang haven't aged at all in the 15 or so billion years of it's existence.

That's the first level of the book, and by itself it is very fascinating. God as the Big Bang, God as Light, God as shaped like multi-dimensional manifolds used in string-theory. Rabbi Nelson is very careful to explain the physics at a very approachable and enjoyable level, perhaps he succeeds so well because like most of us he does not have an advanced science degree. Yet there is a deeper level to this book as well: for Judaism, indeed for Western religion to remain relevant, it has to confront and grow along with our growing understanding of reality. This is the fundamental challenge that has been presented to Religion since the dawn of the Age of Reason. Rabbi Nelson takes on the challenge --- not by attempting to prove or disprove the existence of God, but by attempting to understand God through our growing knowledge of the universe.

You do not have to agree with Rabbi Nelson's personal beliefs to learn from this book-- there's plenty here for everyone from the confirmed atheist to the most Orthodox believer. Furthermore, he sets up a framework that can--and most likely will--be used by others for generations to come. I fully believe that this book will be referenced generations from now, if not beyond.

Science, Theology, and the Transcendental Horizon: Einstein, Kant, and Tillich (Aar Studies in Religion)

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Science, Theology, and the Transcendental Horizon: Einstein, Kant, and Tillich (Aar Studies in Religion)
Roy D., II Morrison
Manufacturer: Scholars Press
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ASIN: 1555406793

Evolution of God: A Concept - Or Is God Stagnant? First Edition, Book One of Volume One: Cosmic Concepts of the JIB Series

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Evolution of God: A Concept - Or Is God Stagnant? First Edition, Book One of Volume One: Cosmic Concepts of the JIB Series
Robert E. West
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
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ASIN: 1412042984
Release Date: 2006-07-06

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God is evolving and getting better.

Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist

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Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist
George L. Murphy
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
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EINSTEIN AND RELIGION: PHYSICS AND THEOLOGY.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Theological Studies

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EINSTEIN AND RELIGION: PHYSICS AND THEOLOGY.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Theological Studies
Timothy E. Toohig
Manufacturer: Theological Studies, Inc.
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This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Theological Studies, Inc. on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 485 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: EINSTEIN AND RELIGION: PHYSICS AND THEOLOGY.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Timothy E. Toohig
Publication: Theological Studies (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Theological Studies, Inc.
Volume: 61 Issue: 2 Page: 391

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

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Amazon.com

In Martin Amis's War Against Cliché, a selection of critical essays and reviews published between 1971 and 2000, he establishes himself as one of the fiercest critics and commentators on the literature and culture of the late 20th century. (He has already established himself as one of the most controversial and original novelists writing in English with novels such as Money and Time's Arrow.) In his foreword to the book Amis ruefully admits that his earlier reviews reveal a rather humorless attitude towards the "Literature and Society" debate of the time. Yet this only adds to the fascination of the collection, as Amis gradually finds his critical voice in the 1980s, confirming his passionate belief that "all writing is a campaign against cliché."

In the subsequent sections of the book, this war leads to some wonderfully cutting and amusing responses to whatever crosses his path, from books on chess and nuclear proliferation to Cervantes' Don Quixote and the novels of his hero Vladimir Nabokov. Praise for his literary heroes is often fulsome: J.G. Ballard's High-Rise "is an intense and vivid bestiary, which lingers in the mind and chronically disquiets it." But his literary wrath is also devastating in its incisiveness: Thomas Harris's Hannibal is dismissed as "a novel of such profound and virtuoso vulgarity," while John Fowles is attacked because "he sweetens the pill: but the pill was saccharine all along." Often frank in its reappraisals (Amis concedes to being too hard on Ballard's Crash when reviewing the film many years later), some of the best writing is reserved for his journalism on sex manuals, chess, and his beloved football. The War Against Cliché will provoke strong reactions, but that only seems to confirm, rather than deny, the value of Amis's writing. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

In this collection of essays and reviews spanning twenty-five years of criticism, Martin Amis asserts the writer's obligation to battle "not just cliches of the pen but cliches of the mind and cliches of the heart." He marshals the forces of his infamous arsenal: his language, his wit, and his intolerance for suffering fools to review, consider, and in some cases, condemn. He takes to task the best and the brightest, including Cervantes and Milton, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and Norman Mailer and Elmore Leonard. From "Great Books" to "Some American Prose," from "Popularity Contest" to the "Ultramundane," Amis parses the classics and the unconventional with the subversive brilliance he brings to everything he touches.

He also skewers myths about masculinity, with great skepticism and more than a dash of nose-thumbing humor. Unflinchingly, he lambastes the "supercharged banality" of Elvis, the monumentally self-absorption of Andy Warhol, and American squeamishness about movie violence. Evaluating the present participle, casting a cold eye on the Guinness Book of Records, and the sacrosanct image of Abraham Lincoln, Amis astutely surveys our cultural landscape and fluctuates between celebration and castigation, with the precision of a hypodermic.

Customer Reviews:

Our Secret Weapon in the Culture Wars.......2007-08-02

These bits and pieces do not say all that much alone; together they work as a lethal brew strong enough to kill crawling insects, academics, and other vermin. Amis loves literature. He celebrates authorship and despises the campaign led by theorists against creativity and genius. He joins Waugh and Orwell and others who had an instinctive loathing for propaganda. In every review he takes on what he sees as the tenured onslaught against that fine thing known as the English language. He's marvelous at dismissing the pointed-headed bigots who despise refinement and elegance of expression. He is a kind of Spiro Agnew of literature. He has a take-no-prisoners attitude and shoos away the nonsense with one hand while drafting his essays with the other. He knows how to have fun and is having fun. He has his favorites: Angus Wilson, Iris Murdoch, Nabokov, Roth and Bellow. He is indifferent to the structuralists, post-colonialists, and Soviet-style enemies of frivolity. Amis celebrates the kinds of talent that embrace all of life, most especially the unexceptional. He likes Updike's Rabbit novels because Angstrom is deliciously ordinary. Amis himself is not; his genius lies in his knowing a good thing when he reads it.

First Rate Lit Crit.......2006-09-06

Martin Amis has long since established himself as one of Britain's leading novelists. It does not follow that he is necessarily a great critic of literature or even a great essayist. And he is not; but he is damned good all the same.

This collection gathers a wide variety of literary reviews from 1977-2000 (though the majority of them were composed during the 70's and 80's while Amis was writing for the New Statesman) which provide curious readers with a marvelous resource in the realm of contemporary fiction. Amis makes no apologies for his overt reverence for Nabokov, Bellow, Roth, Joyce, and Kafka. He calls Bellow's `The Adventures of Augie March' the great American novel of the 20th century (next to Gatsby), and maintains that Bellow's late period was not characterized by intellectual nor artistic diminishment (a view I have not shared). Amis' criticism is heavily indebted to the style and philosophy of Nabokov's literary lectures at Cornell, insisting that a true reader of literature reads with `the spine' and ought to reject all theory.

There is an excellent and broad array of literature reviewed in this collection, including established greats like Updike, Capote, and Murdoch, but also lesser known but exciting writers like Ballard, but he includes reviews of indubitably bad writers merely for the sake of covering the whole spectrum. Not as compelling as Amis' own literature, but very worthwhile all the same.

Brilliant, funny, wonderful.......2006-03-14

All in a British sort of way.

Amis is a reminder of why there are critics in the world and why most of us, including yours truly, who write reviews are simply hacks. Though we can lend a common man (or woman)'s view of a piece and why we like it or do not, few of us have the skill, eye, education, and training to truly critique something.

Amis has all of these amply and is able to relay his view of the world the reader, without being condescending or trite.

His review of Nabokov is worth the price of admission.

Another 5-star Brainstormer by Martin Amis..........2005-10-13

One thing about this author: he can be amusing, wicked, and pedagogic at the same time, and he spouts forth words almost like a non-extinct volcano. How does he do it?! Here he mildly critiques such academic, rambling authors like Iris Murdoch, while writing in awe of the legendary literary busyness of John Updike. His appreciation of Bellow for his non stop exuberance, and Nabokov for his extreme wordplay may be overdone, but nonetheless well worth the read. The best pieces may be of Anthony Burgess, the rollicking, phantasmagorical Brit, especially his review of the Burgess autobiography. He admits Joyce's ULYSSES is not a "straight thru" read, a comment which perfectly matches my thoughts, but plows thru this hefty tome with great style and aplomb! In fact, the fun and amusement prac tically never cease here, as in most of Mr. Amis's now hefy oeuvre. So reading through this book bit by bit is an enjoyable romp, a fun and stimulating way to make it through the night!

Brandishing the sword of talent against cliche.......2005-03-15

Martin Amis is one of those rare writers who found his voice staggeringly early in life (one of his greatest novels, the Rachel Papers came out when he was only 23) and has remained on a largely mercurial track to become one of Britain's most celebrated author-critics.

The Introduction to 'The War Against Cliche' is a retrospective commentary on the decline of literary criticism from its 60s and 70s heyday: 'In the 60s you could live on ten shillings a week: you slept on people's floors and sponged off your friends and sang for your supper - about literary criticism'. Then the oil crises hiked up prices, democracy unleashed its dynamic forces against elite forms of culture and criticism became a dispensible frippery of the educated middle classes. Now, in the era of the internet, everyone in a sense has become a literary critic - witness the tens of thousands of reviews posted on this website. Amis ultimately isn't adverse to this. He likens Literature to a 'great garden', trampled extensively by public participation. But this is Eden, it is unfallen, therefore the ignorant and the illiterate cannot undermine what lies at the root of great literature: talent.

The essays in this book can be linked by a desire on the part of the writer to pinpoint and appreciate talented writing amongst the millions of words that have been scribed in English Literature. Amis ultimately finds it in the writings of the great American authors of the late 20th Century - Bellow, Updike and, most notably, Nabokov. But the journey to uncover these deities of the literary scene is laden with wrong turns and amusing digressions. Thus Amis presents us with an amusing consideration of a Hillary Clinton book on childrearing: ''Village' is a portrait of a First Lady who deserves a second change. And a second term. This is not the unsmiling feminist, the ballbreaking ambulance-chaser who came to Washington a few years ago', witty send ups of the likes of Thomas Harris - Amis considers 'Hannibal' to be a 'harpoon of unqualified kitsch'. Essays on subjects as diverse as chess, nuclear weapons and football are included amongst other things. Longer, more quintissentially literary essays focus on interesting themes such as the nihilistic perversity of J.G. Ballard, why Cyril Connolly only managed to produce one novel, and a mediocre one at that - he was corrupted by too much reviewing apparently, and why novels such as Don Quixote and Ulyssees can be considered to be undisputed masterpieces and, at the same time, unreadable.

Amis is no fawning, simpering reviewer, willing to massage the fragile egos of writers and publishers alike. His prose is characteristically juicy, acerbic, witty and, at times, viciously damning. He has little time for writers who can't even master the nuts and bolts of English prose - see, for instance, his comments on the fallacy of the Elegant Variation in a biography of Lincoln. Some books he patently finds the very notion of rediculous, such as a Who's Who in Twentieth Century Literature giving everyone, no matter how esoteric, a spot in the anthology. It is evident reading through these essays that Amis is a serious reader who likes his prose to be original, well crafted and, above all, the product of a talented pen.

Because the War Against Cliche incorporates essays from almost a thirty year timescale, it is interesting to note the maturity of Amis's reviewing style as he ages. His early reviews, penned whilst he was in his twenties are brash and cocky. His 1971 review of the Guinnes Book of Records displays several of the hallmarks of a youthful critic- the smirking cynicism, the sneering sarcasm and the inclusion of jokes because they are clever and funny, not necessarily because they are incisive or relevant. By the 1990s, Amis's voice has matured into that of the statesmanlike purveyor of literary outlooks - mature, authoratitive and crackling with the opinions of a writer who really knows what he is talking about when it comes to literature.

This collection of essays by Amis serves as a fine reminder of why we read books and what we should look for when we do so - namely talent and originality. Pretty much synonyms as his beloved Nabokov pointed out. An invitation to us all to find our own literary role models who strive to create something along these lines. Salman Rushdie described this quest as a writers attempt to 'stretch the universe' of the reader's mind a little. Amis calls it the war on cliche. Whatever it's title, this pursuit is an important one, and this is some of the very best reviewing you will find articulating this viewpoint.

War Against Cliche : Essays and Reviews 1971 - 2000

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War Against Cliche : Essays and Reviews 1971 - 2000
Martin Amis
Manufacturer: HYPERION
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ASIN: B000OJOWLU

The War Against Cliche: Essays and Reviews 1971 - 2000

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The War Against Cliche: Essays and Reviews 1971 - 2000
Martin Amis
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ASIN: B000OPRCP2

Martin Amis. The War Against Cliche: Essays and Reviews, 1971-2000.(Book Review): An article from: World Literature Today

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Martin Amis. The War Against Cliche: Essays and Reviews, 1971-2000.(Book Review): An article from: World Literature Today
William Hutchings
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 947 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Martin Amis. The War Against Cliche: Essays and Reviews, 1971-2000.(Book Review)
Author: William Hutchings
Publication: World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 76 Page: 77(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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