Regarded by many as the finest, and funniest, comic novel of the twentieth century, Lucky Jim remains as trenchant, withering, and eloquently misanthropic as when it first scandalized readers in 1954. This is the story of Jim Dixon, a hapless lecturer in medieval history at a provincial university who knows better than most that “there was no end to the ways in which nice things are nicer than nasty ones.” Kingsley Amis’s scabrous debut leads the reader through a gallery of emphatically English bores, cranks, frauds, and neurotics with whom Dixon must contend in one way or another in order to hold on to his cushy academic perch and win the girl of his fancy.

More than just a merciless satire of cloistered college life and stuffy postwar manners, Lucky Jim is an attack on the forces of boredom, whatever form they may take, and a work of art that at once distills and extends an entire tradition of English comic writing, from Fielding and Dickens through Wodehouse and Waugh. As Christopher Hitchens has written, “If you can picture Bertie or Jeeves being capable of actual malice, and simultaneously imagine Evelyn Waugh forgetting about original sin, you have the combination of innocence and experience that makes this short romp so imperishable.”

Editorial Reviews

From Bookforum

We still read it for the humor, the biting dialogue, the bitter lines. —Christian Lorentzen

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“Lucky Jim illustrates a crucial human difference between the little guy and the small man. And Dixon, like his creator, was no clown but a man of feeling after all.” – Christopher Hitchens

“Mr. Kingsley Amis is so talented, his observation is so keen, that you cannot fail to be convinced that the young men he so brilliantly describes truly represent the class with which his novel is concerned….They have no manners, and are woefully unable to deal with any social predicament. Their idea of a celebration is to go to a public bar and drink six beers. They are mean, malicious and envious….They are scum.” – W. Somerset Maugham

“’After Evelyn Waugh, what?’ this reviewer asked six years ago….The answer, already, is Kingsley Amis, the author of Lucky Jim….Satirical and sometimes farcical, they are derived from shrewd observation of contemporary British life, and they occasionally imply social morals….Lucky Jim is extremely funny. Everyone was much amused, and since it is also a kind of male Cinderella or Ugly Duckling story, it left its readers goo-humored and glowing.” —Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker, 1956

“I was recommended [Kinglsey Amis’ Lucky Jim] when I was a teenager trying to figure out how to start reading 'serious' books. Great recommendation, because on the surface it’s nothing of the sort, but it is brilliant.” —Hugh Dancy, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

“Remarkable for its relentless skewering of artifice and pretension, Lucky Jim also contains some of the finest comic set pieces in the language.” —Olivia Laing, The Observer

“Remarkably, Lucky Jim is as fresh and surprising today as it was in 1954. It is part of the landscape, and it defines academia in the eyes of much of the world as does no other book, yet if you are coming to it for the first time you will feel, as you glide happily through its pages, that you are traveling in a place where no one else has ever been. If you haven’t yet done so, you must.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

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Product details

Series: New York Review Books Classics
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: NYRB Classics; Reprint edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781590175750
ISBN-13: 978-1590175750
ASIN: 1590175751
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 254 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #134 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Humorous
- #156 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Comedy
- #173 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Humor & Satire > Dark Humor

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Steven Ramirez

A Crazed, Lunatic’s Cry of Literary Rage

June 10, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I’m pretty sure most readers today have never heard of Lucky Jim, that crazed, lunatic’s cry of literary rage against the sheer boredom of academic life in the early 1950s. I read the novel decades ago and recently picked it up again, having decided to take a break from nail-biting stories of horror and suspense. And I must say, Kingsley Amis’s excoriating masterpiece is just as hilarious the second time around.

When you first meet Jim Dixon, what strikes you is not only his penchant for mockery but his incredible ability to pull the most inventive faces. In fact, I counted no less than ten throughout the book, my favorite being his shot-in-the-back face. Those coupled with his irritatable mumblings, drunken ramblings, and blatant ignorance about women make for an antihero par excellence. And the highlight of these antics? A leaden, uninspired speech he must deliver to hundreds of students and faculty entitled “Merrie England,” whatever that means.

If you love scathing, satirical stories featuring romance, give Lucky Jim a try. And don’t worry that the book was published more than sixty years ago. Its razorlike humor is as fresh as ever. Try to decide which is your favorite Jim Dixon face. And imagine you had to deliver that ill-fated “Merrie England” speech. Hint: a few pulls of good Scottish whiskey and you will indeed be merry. Good luck.

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Daniel Gavron

I laughed out loud!

February 12, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is not as good as I remembered it, but still worth reading. I found parts of it extremely funny--notably the "Merrie England" lecture--and laughed out loud! On the other hand there are long, boring passages of psychological and philosophical pretentiousness, which are just what the book purports to denounce.

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Brian Clewly Johnson

Glad I finally read this classic.

August 27, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I waited far too long before reading this classic work. Been a long time since I burst out laughing in public with a Kindle in my hands. But 'Lucky Jim' has that quality - and many more. The story is a simple boy/girl tale but some of the characters and their English eccentricities are a joy to discover. Simply magical.

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Unknown

Hilarious

February 27, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Really great read. Several laugh out loud moments. I can almost see our “protagonist” writing his letter to Johns, had me howling. It didn’t end as I saw coming, at least not completely. Really saddened that I waiting so long to read this film and why it isn’t reverted as much as Catcher.

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Moisio

Early academic farce

November 16, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I've read a few examples of academic farce now, from David Lodge and Michael Frayn, and this must be the earliest I've encountered, barring Vile Bodies. In fact Amis does make his eponymous narrator deliver a nod to Evelyn Waugh.

The book is occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, and especially when Dixon skewers his own academic output. There's a lot to like here but not too much to really sink one's teeth into. I imagine the most rewarding way to think about the book, beyond its comic merits, is along the lines of modernity rejecting staid academe. Unfortunately, there's no character representing the positive aspects of the intellectual life--no polyglot classicist with a broad, deep intellect and a quick wit. Perhaps the point is to lampoon the lesser institutions rather than the real pursuit of knowledge.

Either way, it's a funny book and reads quickly, even if it's wrapped up a bit too neatly.

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Mackenzie Johnson

Hilarious and Cool Novel

April 6, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As an American reader, I can definitely say this book started off very slowly for me, but boy did it gain speed after the dinner party. Amis’s brand of wry humor and dry sarcasm are a riot, and all the situations Jim ends up in are hilariously funny, yet also thought-provoking. I’d recommend this read if you’re accustomed to the nuances of British writing—a few of my friends (also Americans) couldn’t quite enjoy it due to the “how” it was written.

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Lucky You....if you read this book

July 9, 2004

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"Lucky Jim" is Jim Dixon - who appears to be a most unlucky man. He recently landed a university teaching job, but he's miserable. Terrible at his job, Dixon is left wondering throughout the book whether his position will be continued. In addition to his job woes, he seems to have great contempt for most everyone around him, including his neurotic girlfriend, Margaret. Things worsen when he's invited for a weekend of music at a senior professor's home and he meets the professor's son - Bertrand. A buffoonish artist, Bertrand nevertheless has an alluring girlfriend, the lovely Christine. Dixon unsurprisingly is drawn to Christine, despite her stuffy manner and seeming arrogance. Embarrassing Bertrand and stealing away Christine become him main priority. In the meantime, he still needs to prepare a lecture on "Merrie England" that will be attended by his superiors and local town dignitaries. Will he survive?
The novel is a model of dry British wit - at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. Dixon is a fantastic literary character - a cynic who personifies the scorn we all feel at times. As Amis writes about Dixon, "all his faces were designed to express rage or loathing." In addition to his cynicism, Dixon is incredibly irresponsible and engages in all sorts of mischievousness, resulting in hilarious predicaments. Nevertheless, you cannot help but root for him to succeed.
The writing is spectacular - each scene bristles with detail and nuance. In particular, Amis beautifully portrays difficult interpersonal situations frankly and accurately, replete with requisite humor. Although the book drags at times, it's a first-rate read. Most highly recommended, particularly for readers who enjoy novels set in academia.

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