Both the Brit and the Glyph had a bunch of terrific, boundary-stretching hits that simultaneously acknowledged and twisted the touchstones of the medium, mostly during the 1980s. Both stars have dimmed somewhat, although they remain in the public imagination due to their own smirky, unfettered attitude. It's this attitude that keeps Amis fresh even when he stumbles. No wonder The New Yorker published it. That's one of the few actual secrets this book contains, and by far the juiciest.
Experience rehashes nevertheless.
The Barnes fight is refought. The teeth are refixed. The illegitimate daughter is relegitimized. The cousin is remurdered. Amis digs up long-dormant trivialities, like A.S. Byatt's frowning on his large advance for The Information .