Clive James

Clive James was an Australian writer, critic, broadcaster, poet, and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019. He was born Vivian Leopold James in Kogarah, a southern suburb of Sydney, to Jewish Russian immigrants. He changed his name to Clive after seeing the film This Above All (1942). He studied English and Psychology at the University of Sydney, where he was involved in the student newspaper and the annual revue. He also became associated with the Sydney Push, a libertarian intellectual subculture. He moved to England in 1961 and became a literary critic and television columnist for The Observer in 1972, where he gained fame for his witty and deadpan humour. He wrote several books of literary criticism, such as The Metropolitan Critic (1974), At the Pillars of Hercules (1979), and Cultural Amnesia (2007). He also wrote essays on various topics, such as travel, sports, politics, and culture. Some of his essay collections are Flying Visits (1984), Even As We Speak (2001), and The Revolt of the Pendulum (2009). ¹ He was also a prolific poet, who published several volumes of poetry, such as Poem of the Year (1978), Other Passports (1986), Opal Sunset (2008), and Sentenced to Life (2015). He also translated Dante's Divine Comedy into English quatrains in 2013. He was praised for his technical skill, lyrical style, and wide-ranging references. He won several awards for his poetry, such as the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Literature in 2003 and the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation in 2014. ¹ He was also a successful broadcaster, who hosted and appeared in many popular TV shows, such as Clive James on Television (1982-88), Saturday Night Clive (1988-91), The Clive James Show (1995-98), and Clive James's Postcard from... (1989-95). He also made documentaries on various subjects, such as Fame in the 20th Century (1993) and The Dreaming (1998). He was known for his sharp wit, cultural insights, and humorous commentary. ¹² He wrote several memoirs about his life and career, such as Unreliable Memoirs (1980), Falling Towards England (1985), May Week Was In June (1990), North Face of Soho (2006), and The Blaze of Obscurity (2009). He also wrote novels, such as Brilliant Creatures (1983) and The Silver Castle (1996). He also wrote lyrics for songs and musicals, such as Pete Atkin's albums and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cricket (1986). ¹² He was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010 and underwent treatment. He died of the disease on 24 November 2019 at his home in Cambridge. He was 80 years old. His death saddened the literary world and his fans around the world. He was remembered as a brilliant, versatile, and influential writer and critic. ¹²