The rise of the literary nepo baby? The children of famous novelists on following in their parents' footsteps

"Martin Amis liked to observe that the unusual position he and Kingsley Amis held father-and-son novelists was a historical anomaly, a literary curiosity. But it was not unique: Alexandre Dumas pere and fils, Fanny and Anthony Trollope, and Arthur and Evelyn Waugh had all come before them. And if Amis's assertion wasn't true then, it's even less true now. In recent years, increasing numbers of children of novelists have become writers themselves, and this year sees a particularly rich batch."

"What is behind this trend? Does having a novelist for a parent make it likely that a child will be inspired to follow? Or is it easier for children of writers to get published? I spoke to some novelists who have kept it in the family to find out. Nick Harkaway with his father, John le Carre. Photograph: Monty Fresco/Daily Mail/Shutterstock I met Martin Amis briefly and tried to talk to him about it, John le Carre's son Nick Harkaway tells me."

"Harkaway has published eight novels, and recently has begun to extend his father's output, with new novels following established le Carre characters. Did he realise as a child that his father didn't have a regular job? I'm 53 now, he says, and it has belatedly occurred to me that my childhood was quite odd. We could be driving through Greece or America [on holiday] and if you stopped at a petrol station, there was a le Carre novel."

"Home life could be unusual, too, for a writer of his level of fame. Once, Harkaway recalls, there was a hush in the house because Isaiah Berlin had dropped in."

Children of novelists have become writers themselves in growing numbers, continuing a pattern seen in earlier literary families. The trend includes new debuts and fantasy or acclaimed first novels from the children of established authors. The question arises whether having a novelist parent increases inspiration to write or whether it makes publication easier. Nick Harkaway, son of John le Carré, describes a childhood shaped by his father’s constant presence as a writer, including frequent encounters with his books during travel. He also recalls unusual home life connected to prominent intellectual visitors, such as Isaiah Berlin dropping by.

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