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Speaking about adopting a pseudonym, he said: "It sort of occurred to me, but I thought: 'No, that's my name.' I wish I had done now, because it's become somewhat of a burden."

His comments were broadcast last night on the Meeting Myself Coming Back show. They come days after the revelation that JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author, wrote a detective novel, The Cuckoo's Calling, under the pen name Robert Galbraith.

In the interview, Amis, the author of Money, The Rachel Papers and London Fields, also said he had deliberately cultivated a "gloom merchant" image but did not have a naturally grumpy outlook.

He explained that he did not like to smile because he had problems with his teeth, which left him in pain from the age of eight. He has since had surgery to fix them.

Listening to recordings of himself from his early career, Amis said he sounded posher than he remembered.