Picador Books
8 total works
From the man who made TV criticism an entertainment in its own right comes Visions Before Midnight, a selection from the column hundreds of thousands of devoted fans would turn to first thing on a Sunday morning.
Clive James's comic brilliance is displayed here, from the 1972 Olympics (But your paradigm no-no commentary can't be made up of fluffs alone. It needs flannel in lengthy widths, and it's here that Harry and Alan come through like a whole warehouse full of pyjamas) to the 1976 Olympics ('Jenkins has a lot to do' was a new way of saying that our man, of whom we had such high hopes, was not going to pull out the big one).
In between we have 'War and Peace' (Tolstoy makes television history), the Royal Wedding (Dimbling suavely, Tom Fleming introduced the scene), the Winter Olympics (unintelligibuhl), the Eurovision Song Contest (The Hook of their song lasted a long time in the mind, like a kick in the knee. You could practically hear the Koreans singing it. 'Waterloo . . .' ), and much more.
'The brilliant creatures of the title live in a world of lost innocence and vast incomes; publishers, writers, media men and consultants, they belong to a charmed circle where everyone knows everybody else's business and thinks it the most important thing in life. It's all marvellously clever; Clive James doesn't miss a trick. It's funny too. Enjoy, enjoy' The Times
'Foaming with ideas and afterthoughts and after-afterthoughts, Clive James's first novel is a joy to read. He is nearer to Wodehouse than to Waugh. He is not setting out merely to raise laughs. He takes vigorous swipes at most of the unacceptable faces of society, and, as with all good satirists, there is venom in the indignation' Listener
'I thought I was going to hate Brilliant Creatures, the first novel by Clive James. But before long I found myself greatly enjoying this romping satire of London literary life. The chief pleasure of Brilliant Creatures lies in the writing, which sizzles off the page with a rare merriment' Illustrated London News
'James is up on a tightrope of style, wobbling away, relentlessly funny. James's achievement, beyond the fizz and the jokes, is to have created characters who begin t be likeable, and who make and live with a decision worth pondering' London Review of Books
His best in one volume, Clive James On Television includes all Clive James's treasured TV criticism, originally written for The Observer between the years 1972 and 1982.
From the 1972 Olympics to the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, here is a decade of the most trenchant, witty and thought-provoking criticism of any kind, with a foreword from Clive James himself, described as 'the funniest man in Britain'.
This volume incorporates three collections: Visions Before Midnight, The Crystal Bucket and Glued to the Box.
From the author of Cultural Amnesia, beloved writer, poet and broadcaster Clive James, The Remake is a satirical story of astronomy, celebrity and a certain sort of romance . . .
'As sharp as a tack and as clever as eleven wagonloads of monkeys' – Guardian
Astronomer Joel Court has problems. His interstellar discoveries might have landed him a weekly spot on the television, but before long his misbehaviour has lost him his wife, his mistress and quite possibly his career. He lands in the home of Chance Jenolan, to whom success was a way of life, who deals in a very different sort of star.
One of Chance's orbiting celebrities poses a particular problem for Joel. The Mole. Her heavenly body outshines all the celestial manifestations Joel has ever seen. Pretty soon, he will not be able to bear having her out of his sights.
Collecting work from 1958–1985, Other Passports is an unforgettable selection of poetry from the much-loved author of Unreliable Memoirs, Clive James.
'Clive James is a true poet' – Peter Porter, London Review of Books
With verse spanning his wide range of knowledge and interests, this is the collection that earned James comparisons to Byron and confirmed his status as a 'true poet'.
With his trademark wit and humour, Other Passports showcases his lyrical style, alongside parodies, imitations and lampoons.
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
'Intelligent, witty, skilful, highly crafted and, under the lightness, serious: deadly serious, in fact' – George Szirtes, poet and translator