Reliable Essays by Clive James

Reliable Essays by Clive James

The best essays of Clive James, culled from 30 years of prose. There are essays on Margaret Thatcher, Seamus Heaney, George Orwell and Philip Larkin, essays on the meaning of Australia and on what it means to be a TV critic, and his "Postcard from Rome".

Since arriving from Australia in the 1960s, Clive James has trod a tricky path between popular and high cultureIn one field, he finds no joke too vulgar (think back to the 1980s, when his regular TV shows usually included a gleeful relay of clips from sadistic Japanese game shows); in the other, no text is too highbrow. Few, however, remember his lyrical contributions to the records of Pete Atkin, which resulted in some of the most literate and delightful popular music of the 1970s. His versatility has often rebounded on him - to some, he is viewed as a great wit, to others, he is unbearably smug. In recent times, however, James has decided to turn his back on the TV and reclaim the high ground as a serious writer and critic. Unsurprisingly for one who was for many years the Observer's TV critic, there are musings about the gogglebox, but for the most part, this collection consists of essays on Evelyn Waugh, Nabokov, Seamus Heaney and a four-part work on the poet Philip Larkin. And jolly fine essays they are, too - the serious analysis often being leavened by James' humour. Many of the pieces have appeared elsewhere before, but this represents both a handy anthology for the converted and a primer for the new reader.

Clive James is one of the most famous writers on the Picador list and the biggest (literally -- in terms of books published). His many books include the million copy selling memoirs Unreliable Memoirs Falling Towards England and May Week Was In June and the hugely amusing Postcards and Flying Visits. He has also written three novels.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780330481298
ISBN 10	0330481290
Title	Reliable Essays
Author	Clive James
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pan Macmillan
Year published	2001-06-22
Number of pages	368
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable