"A comic triumph, full of terrific jokes and brilliantly sustained setpieces" Ian Hamilton, London Review of Books
When we last met our hero in Unreliable Memoirs, he had set sail from Sydney Harbour bound for London, fame and fortune. Idealistic and uncompromising, if short on cash, he planned to engage himself in a low-paying menial job by day and to compose poetical masterpieces by night. Having promised himself he would never succumb to such stop-gap occupations as publishing or advertising, he was happily unsuccessful in landing in either job - at least initially. Positions with London Transport and as a wine expert were likewise denied him. Scarcely daunted, he moved purposefully beyond 'the Valley of Kangaroos' (otherwise known as Earl's Court) into a bed and breakfast in a Swiss Cottage where he thoughtfully practised the Twist in his room, anticipated the poetical masterpieces and worried a little about his wardrobe.
PRAISE FOR CLIVE JAMES
"James' wickedly funny jokes and jibes make you laugh out loud and feel warm to the man. No wonder women wanted to feed him greens, and men lend him money" The Times Clive James is the author of more than forty books. As well as essays, he has published collections of literary and television criticism, travel writing, verse and novels, plus five volumes of autobiography,Unreliable Memoirs, Falling Towards England, May Week Was In June, North Face of Soho and The Blaze of Obscurity. As a television performer he appeared regularly for both the BBC and ITV, most notably as writer and presenter of the 'Postcard' series of travel documentaries. He helped to found the independent television production company Watchmaker and the multimedia personal website www.clivejames.com. His bookCultural Amnesia was widely noticed in all the English-speaking countries and is currently being translated into Chinese. His popular Radio 4 series A Point of View has been published in volume form. In 1992 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2003 he was awarded the Philip Hodgins memorial medal for literature. He holds honorary doctorates from Sydney University and the University of East Anglia. In 2012 he was appointed CBE.
