Martin Amis

© Mark Gerson / National Portrait Gallery, London

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Martin Amis

by Mark Gerson
bromide print, 1984
9 7/8 in. x 7 7/8 in. (250 mm x 200 mm)
Purchased, 1990
Photographs Collection
NPG x35719

Sitterback to top

  • Martin Louis Amis (1949-2023), Novelist; son of Sir Kingsley Amis. Sitter in 22 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Mark Gerson (1921-), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 277 portraits, Sitter in 2 portraits.

Events of 1984back to top

Current affairs

The Provisional IRA bomb the Grand Hotel in Brighton where various politicians, including the Prime Minister, where staying for the annual Conservative Party conference. The bomb killed five people including a conservative MP, but no members of the cabinet. Thatcher began the next session of the conference the following morning at 9.30 as planned saying: 'all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.'

Art and science

Dr Alec Jeffreys discovers that patterns in an individual's DNA can be identified and that each person has a unique 'genetic fingerprint'. The technique was soon utilised by forensic scientists to help in criminal investigations, and in order to identify human remains, for paternity testing, and to match organ donors.
Ted Hughes is appointed poet Laureate.

International

Ethiopia suffers severe drought and famine. The Ethiopian government responded by uprooting large numbers of peasants in the worst affected areas and by setting up new villages for the displaced people. However, the planned villages were frequently poorly equipped and many people chose to flee rather than acquiesce with government plans leading to further decline in food production and bringing the total death toll to over 1 million.

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