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A famous British author recently insulted a great many people by saying he'd consider writing for children only if he had a brain injury. So I thought it would be fun to interview a talented author of children's books, Joanne Rocklin, to find out what writing for children is really like. Read More
The Martin Amis quote is completely out of context.
1. First of all, does every author HAVE to want to write for kids? Can't some authors find that audience annoying? A bad fit? Not interesting for them? Why does everyone have to love kids all the time?
2. Martin Amis isn't even slamming kids books. He's just saying that he doesn't want to think about a concrete reader with very clear demographics when he's writing. That would apply to tennis playing readers, female readers, geriatric readers, people from Wisconsin. Based on the quote above, he's not saying he hates kids or kids' books are simplistic.
I never suggested he said what you said I said he said...
Your points are legitimate, of course. No matter what or who you choose to write for, though, you needn't believe that only those who are mentally impaired can or do write for kids. You'd have to read the original quote, which I linked to in the post, to see that an insult could be inferred. Personally, I get what he MEANT, but the way he said it was, intentionally or not, clumsy and contemptuous.
Brain-damaged?
I agree with Susan. Imagine if "brain-damaged" had been used anywhere near "female readers" or "people from Wisconsin"...
Well,
I don't follow his work or career but couple of times it came to my knowledge remarks by him which I considered mean and spot on :p. Not this time.
I don't know if he finds kids annoying, I only know what he said, for a guy who make a living on words and is an elderly man, one could think he's perfectly capable of better phrasing himself if he wants to.
Creativity thrives,primes on limitations, obstacles, conundrums. Ask psychologists who study this field.
What he means is beyond the point to me. If he meant what you said he meant couldn't he just find a better way of saying that?
Of course!
Certainly he could have found a better way to say what he meant, but he seems to speak impulsively at times. Creativity does thrive, as you suggest, on constraints. I guess he prefers other constraints than the ones you find in writing for children. Or he doesn't acknowledge the contraints under which he labors.
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