Taking the very best, funniest and most heartfelt of his work from 1958-2003, The Book of My Enemy is the second volume of collected poems from much-loved poet, broadcaster and author of Unreliable Memoirs, Clive James. 'He rejoices in language, and he shows enormous skill in using it' - Sunday TelegraphThe poetry of Clive James achieved immediate notoriety on the publication of this volume's title poem: 'The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered'. Hilarious and self-satirizing, it became one of the most anthologized poems of recent times. After its publication, James emerged unarguably as one of the most prominent poets of his generation - and The Book of My Enemy shows why. With its broad thematic scope and dazzling technical accomplishment, this collection is one to treasure.'If you are vacillating over whether a couple of bottles of pinot blanc might, in the short run, prove more fun than a poetry book, then just flick to the first page and the title poem of this volume' - The TimesThe Book of My Enemy features a selection of poetry written by James from 1958-2003, and includes within it his previous collection Other Passports. Clive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His acclaimed poetry includes the collection Sentenced to Life and a translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy, both Sunday Times bestsellers. His passion for and knowledge of poetry are distilled in his book of criticism on the subject, Poetry Notebook, and, written in the last year of his life, his personal annotated anthology of favourite poems, The Fire Of Joy. Praise for Clive James:'He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time' - Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times'Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive' - A. S. Byatt, critic and author of Possession: A Romance'Clive James is a true poet' - Peter Porter, London Review of Books

The Book of My Enemy - Collected Verse 1958-2003

A hilarious journey through the life and television of the 1970s and 80s, this nostalgic time capsule collects the treasured columns of Clive James.'The funniest writer in Britain' - Sunday TimesClive James is the man who created TV criticism as a genre, bringing to it all the breadth of reference, intelligence and delight that he brought to more conventionally highbrow art forms. At a time when there were only three TV channels in the UK, and a primetime show might gather a simultaneous audience of 20 million people, he was commenting on the hitherto overlooked major cultural phenomenon of the era. From the Olympics to the fall of Richard Nixon, from the Eurovision Song Contest to the rise of Thatcher, from endless Star Trek reruns to the election of Reagan, and from Charlie's Angels to Michael Foot's Labour Party, Clive James's inimitable commentary brought sense and humour to his huge audience. In Clive James On Television are collected all three volumes of the brilliant, uniquely Jamesian humour that saw hundreds of thousands of devoted fans turn to his column each Sunday morning. It is together a hilarious, insightful portrait of the time - whether or not you were there the first time around.'His contribution to the art and enjoyment of TV criticism over the past ten years has been immense. His work is deeply perceptive, often outrageously funny and always compulsively readable' - British Press Awards, on Clive James (Winner, Critic of the Year 1981)This book combines the three volumes of Clive's collected columns: Visions Before Midnight, The Crystal Bucket and Glued To The Box. Clive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His much loved, influential and hilarious television criticism is available both in three individual volumes and collected in Clive James On Television. Praise for Clive James: 'The perfect critic' - A. O. Scott, New York Times'There can't be many writers of my generation who haven't been heavily influenced by Clive James' - Charlie Brooker'A wonderfully witty and intelligent writer' - Verity Lambert

Clive James On Television

Blending the critical essay with poetry, Gate of Lilacs is a collection of verse written by Clive James in response to - and profoundly inspired by - the work of Marcel Proust.'James picks out the characters, the motifs and the moments that set his memory ablaze, just as Marcel was able to conjure such visions from a tisane-infused madeleine' - Literary ReviewOver a period of fifteen years Clive James learned French by almost no other method than reading À la recherche du temps perdu - commonly translated as In Search of Lost Time, or Remembrance of Things Past. Then he spent half a century trying to get up to speed with Proust's great novel in two different languages. Gate of Lilacs is the unique product of James's love of and engagement with Proust's masterpiece. With À la recherche du temps perdu, Proust, in James's words, 'followed his creative instinct all the way until his breath gave out', and now James has done the same. In Gate of Lilacs, James, a brilliant critical essayist and poet, has blended the two forms into one. I had always thought the critical essay and the poem were closely related forms .

Gate of Lilacs - A Verse Commentary on Proust

His second book of cultural criticism, At the Pillars of Hercules sees Clive James take on artists from W. H. Auden to Lillian Hellman, and from T. S. Eliot to Norman Mailer, in a collection that confirmed his reputation as a writer of entertaining, insightful essays. Named for a now much-missed Soho pub that was long the regular haunt of literary Londoners, this collection sees James discuss contemporary poetry, aesthetics and the theory and practice of criticism, the popular novel, and the literature of modern history and politics. It is a fascinating time capsule of the literary 1970s, as well as an illuminating and wide-ranging work of cultural criticism. Clive James's inimitable wit and candour are ever present in this collection, featuring a previously unpublished introduction. Clive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His much-loved, influential and hilarious television criticism is available both in individual volumes and collected in Clive James On Television. His encyclopaedic study of culture and politics in the twentieth century, Cultural Amnesia, remains perhaps the definitive embodiment of his wide-ranging talents as a critic. Praise for Clive James: 'The perfect critic' - A. O. Scott, New York Times'There can't be many writers of my generation who haven't been heavily influenced by Clive James' - Charlie Brooker 'A wonderfully witty and intelligent writer' - Verity Lambert

At the Pillars of Hercules

Effervescent, energetic and eclectic, Even As We Speak collects the best of Clive James on art, culture and politics from 1993-2001. This is one of the late twentieth century's finest minds on show. From the Olympics to the British monarchy to Australian culture, and from icons of the century to the role of the ordinary German in the holocaust, this is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking selection of Clive at his best. This collection includes his compelling, much-discussed piece written shortly after the death of someone he knew personally - Diana, Princess of Wales. Whether the reader is discovering him for the first time, or revisiting classic pieces, Even As We Speak is a compelling collection from a much-loved figure in British - and Australian - culture. Clive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His much-loved, influential and hilarious television criticism is available both in individual volumes and collected in Clive James On Television. His encyclopaedic study of culture and politics in the twentieth century, Cultural Amnesia, remains perhaps the definitive embodiment of his wide-ranging talents as a critic. Praise for Clive James:'The perfect critic' - A. O. Scott, New York Times'There can't be many writers of my generation who haven't been heavily influenced by Clive James' - Charlie Brooker 'A wonderfully witty and intelligent writer' - Verity Lambert

Even As We Speak - Criticism

Always Unreliable is the collected first three volumes of Clive James's eloquently witty autobiographies, Unreliable Memoirs, Falling Towards England and May Week Was in June. In Unreliable Memoirs we meet the young Clive James - dressed in shorts and growing up in post-war Sydney. With Falling Towards England, we find Clive living in a Swiss Cottage B&B, where he practises the Twist, anticipates poetical masterpieces he's yet to compose, and worries about his wardrobe. Finally, May Week Was In June sees Clive at Cambridge University, where he enthusiastically involves himself in college life (generally female lives) until May Week - not only in June but also a fortnight long - when he gets married. The rest, of course, is history .

Always Unreliable - Memoirs

One of his most accomplished collections, Angels Over Elsinore brings together the finest poetry written between 2003-2008 by Clive James, much-loved broadcaster, poet and author of Unreliable Memoirs. From reminiscences of his Australian childhood and elegies for friends and family, to hilarious observations on the state of the language in the twenty-first century and reflections on art, metaphysics, science and faith, Angels Over Elsinore is simultaneously witty, passionate and provocative. Fired by the same energy and rigorous intelligence as his acclaimed prose, the verse of Clive James displays a breathtaking range - but for all its dazzling variety, one theme sings through: his inexhaustible fascination with fellow humans.'Touching, elegant and insightful' - Manchester Evening NewsClive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His acclaimed poetry includes the collection Sentenced to Life and a translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy, both Sunday Times bestsellers. His passion for and knowledge of poetry are distilled in his book of criticism on the subject, Poetry Notebook, and, written in the last year of his life, his personal annotated anthology of favourite poems, The Fire Of Joy. Praise for Clive James:'He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time' - Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times'Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive' - A. S. Byatt, critic and author of Possession: A Romance'Clive James is a true poet' - Peter Porter, London Review of Books

Angels Over Elsinore - Collected Verse 2003-2008

Selecting the very best of his work from over fifty years, Opal Sunset demonstrates Clive James as one of the most versatile and accomplished poets of the past half-century. Whether dealing in the comic set-piece or surreal excursion, or managing serious subject matter with fluency and apparently effortless style, the poetry of Clive James dazzles with its technical skill and thematic scope. As a TV critic on Fleet Street and later a broadcaster in his own right, he achieved such fame for writing the way he spoke that his poetry was regarded as an idiosyncratic sideline, as if no celebrity could write worthy verse. In his later years, however, his accumulated poetic output became impossible to ignore. His later poems about the tragedy that struck his mother and father deal honestly with regret and mark his maturity as a poet - and evoke touching nostalgia for his homeland, Australia. A treasure to return to, Opal Sunset collects verse written 1958-2008 and presents Clive James, poet, at his very best. Clive James (1939-2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His acclaimed poetry includes the collection Sentenced to Life and a translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy, both Sunday Times bestsellers. His passion for and knowledge of poetry are distilled in his book of criticism on the subject, Poetry Notebook, and, written in the last year of his life, his personal annotated anthology of favourite poems, The Fire Of Joy. Praise for Clive James:'He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time' - Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times'Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive' - A. S. Byatt, critic and author of Possession: A Romance'Clive James is a true poet' - Peter Porter, London Review of Books

Opal Sunset - Selected Poems 1958-2008

Clive James, nom de plume de Vivian Leopold James, né le 7 octobre 1939 à Kogarah en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud et mort le 24 novembre 2019 à Cambridge (Angleterre), est un écrivain australien expatrié, poète, critique littéraire, essayiste, présentateur d'une émission-débat, auteur d'ouvrages de voyage et commentateur culturel.

Sur la fille pubescente correctement formée, un speedo était merveilleux. Quand il était mouillé, c'était une incitation à l'émeute.

La science-fiction de premier ordre était, et reste, plus intéressante que l'art de second ordre.

Marre d'être prisonnier de mon enfance, je veux le mettre derrière moi.

Humphrey Searle écrit de la musique qui ressemble au thème de «Star Wars» joué à l'envers à travers une machine à laver.

L'essence d'un système de classe n'est pas que les privilégiés sont conscients de leurs privilèges, mais que les privés sont conscients de leurs privations.

Sa tête en forme de poire, je pouvais maintenant voir, était située au-dessus d'un corps en forme de poire, que sa robe noire a fait ressembler à un fruit allant à des funérailles.

L'entrée n'était pas assez tendre pour être un pavage et la sauce n'aurait pas pu être une soupe primordiale parce que la morphogenèse avait déjà lieu.

Tout ce que je peux faire, c'est tourner une phrase jusqu'à ce qu'il attrape la lumière.

En Italie, pour le même prix qu'un repas typique de hamburger britannique, y compris Sweet, un ouvrier d'un constructeur pourrait manger comme un roi - un peu mieux en fait, car les plats de pâtes gagnent de la simple.

La course répétée de Fawlty Towers (BBC2) a attiré un public plus grand que jamais et à juste titre. Les enquêtes statistiques révèlent que seul le critique de télévision du spectateur est incapable de voir la blague, à savoir que Basil Fawlty a le mauvais tempérament pour être un propriétaire d'hôtel, tout comme d'autres personnes ont le mauvais tempérament pour être des critiques de télévision.

Comme la plupart des gens qui ont fumé la mi-chemin par jour, je n'ai goûté que le premier. La SNUCHE SUCE SUCE SUPPORT était un rituel compulsif qui n'avait pas de plus grande saveur que les fumées de l'argent brûlant.

La télévision est simultanément blâmée, souvent par les mêmes personnes, pour avoir aggravé le monde et pour être impuissant à la changer.

Livrer l'état de l'Union? Ce gars ne pouvait pas livrer de la pizza.

Ma nièce est - son nom est Sasha, apprend actuellement le russe à l'Université de Melbourne et j'attends avec impatience le jour où je pourrai lui parler de Pouchkin.

La grande chose à propos de vivre jusqu'à ce que vous vieillissez un peu si vous êtes écrivain, et surtout un poète, c'est que vous avez plus de vie pour réfléchir. Et je pense que si je suis mieux maintenant - et je pense que je suis probablement mieux que moi - c'est parce que j'ai simplement plus à penser, plus à maîtriser, plus à comprendre.

Il y a dix ans, les critiques laissaient entendre que les cultures biotechnologiques ne seraient pas utiles dans les pays en développement. Aujourd'hui, 90 % des agriculteurs qui en bénéficient sont des agriculteurs pauvres en ressources des pays en développement. Elles ont permis à 7,7 millions d'agriculteurs de subsistance en Chine, en Inde, en Afrique du Sud et aux Philippines de sortir de l'extrême pauvreté.

Elle [Marilyn Monroe] était bonne pour être inutilement abstraite pour la même raison que les nains sont bons pour être courts.

Le hochet de clés en plastique me rappelle un escadron de papillons qui ne se battait pas dans un sac en papier.

Elle était bonne pour jouer à la confusion abstraite de la même manière qu'un midget est bon à être court.

Disco Dancing est juste le coup constant d'un crétin géant frappant dans un ongle sans fin.

Je travaille sur l'hypothèse, ou que ce soit la peur, que le lecteur cesse de lire si j'arrête d'être intéressant.

John McEnroe semble servir le bord d'un bâtiment imaginaire.

Ils avaient un ... chien appelé Bluey. Psychopathe connue, Bluey s'attaquerait si rien d'autre n'était disponible.

Généralement, ce sont nos échecs qui nous civilisent. Triumph nous confirme dans nos habitudes.

Chaque phrase qu'il parvient à dire disperse ses composants comme l'eau de l'étang d'un verbe pourchassant sa propre queue.

Ce n'est que lorsqu'ils se trompent que les machines vous rappellent à quel point elles sont puissantes.

L'écriture est un art de performance pour moi. Ils sont très étroitement alignés, écrits et performants. Mais je suis écrivain, pas un artiste.

Tout le monde a droit à un diplôme universitaire en Amérique, même si c'est dans la technologie du hamburger.

Les visiteurs qui viennent de l'Union soviétique et vous disent à quel point c'est merveilleux de pouvoir regarder les bâtiments publics sans publicités coincées sur eux vous disent simplement qu'ils ne peuvent pas déchiffrer l'alphabet cyrillique.

Même en quelques instants de tranquillité, Murray Walker ressemble à un homme dont le pantalon est en feu.

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