Martin Amis’s widow to receive knighthood on husband’s behalf
The wife of the Zone of Interest author will be honoured at Windsor Castle on behalf of her late husband, Martin Amis.
Amis, who died from oesophageal cancer in 2023 at the age of 73, penned the novel which inspired the film that won Picture of the Year at the 2024 Academy Awards.
His widow, Isabel Fonseca, who is also a writer, will receive his knighthood at Windsor Castle on his behalf on Wednesday.
Shortly after his death, it was revealed that Amis had received a knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours list. It is understood that he was informed of the honour weeks before his death.
The KBE was backdated to before his death, and he became the first person who is no longer living ever to be featured on the list at the time it was published.
Now, over a year after his death, Lady Amis will officially receive the honour on his behalf.
Known as the “bad boy” of English literature, Amis’ work came back into the headlines earlier this year when Jonathan Glazer’s film the Zone of Interest won big at the Oscars.
Set in Auschwitz, the 2014 novel tells the story of a Nazi officer’s love affair with his superior’s wife.
Glazer’s film adaptation strips the novel from its main storyline and instead focuses on the setting using camera set-ups that allowed actors to improvise freely.
It won best sound, best picture, best international feature film, best adapted screenplay and best director at the Academy Awards.
However, it was the British director’s acceptance speech that took the spotlight as he brought the audience to tears as he made a statement on Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza.
“Our film shows where dehumanisation leads at its worst,” he said.
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people – whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza – all the victims of this dehumanisation … how do we resist?”
The speech divided opinion - sparking praise from some and outrage from others such as the Holocaust survivors’ foundation.
The Zone of Interest was Amis’ 14th novel and is regarded as a dark departure from his usual style rooted more in satire.
He is best known for his novels Money (1984) and London Fields (1989) and was named as one of the 50 best post-war British writers by The Times.
Amis finished 15 novels over the course of his career. His most recent, Inside Story (2020), was described as a “novelised autobiography” that included reminiscences of fellow writers and friends, including Christopher Hitchens and Saul Bellow.
