Meaning of Recognition: New Essays 2001 - 2005 - Hardcover

James, Clive

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 033044025X ISBN 13: 9780330440257

Publisher: Picador, 2005

Synopsis

Literary critic, cultural commentator, TV personality, journalist, poet, political analyst, satirist and Formula One fan: Clive James is a man (and master) of many talents, and the essays collected here are testament to that fact. Whether discussing Bing Crosby, Bruno Schulz or Shakespeare, he manages to prioritize style and substance simultaneously, his tone never less than pitch-perfect, his argument always considered. With each phrase carefully crafted and each piece offering cause for thought, the resulting volumewhich takes the reader from London to Bali, theatre to library, from pre-election campaigning to sitting in front of the TV at home, watching The Sopranos and The West Wingis remarkable not only for its range and insight, but also its intimacy and honesty. A contemporary everyman, James is also unmistakably himself, and The Meaning of Recognition shows him at his witty, learnedand heartfeltbest.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

‘Sandwiched between two dissections of the difference between celebrity and recognition are stylish analyses of writers from Philip Larkin to Philip Roth, celebrations of The West Wing and The Sopranos and even a lament for the decline of Formula One motor-racing. What unites them is James’s distinctive tone and his ability to combine seriousness of intent with the fluency and wit for which he is best known’ Sunday Times

Literary critic, cultural commentator, TV documentary film maker, journalist, novelist, poet, political analyst, satirist and Formula One fan: Clive James is a man (and master) of many talents. A contemporary everyman, he is also unmistakably himself, and The Meaning of Recognition – which takes the reader from London to Bali, from the theatre to the library, from pre-election campaigning to sitting at home watching tv – shows him at his most intelligent, insightful, honest and heartfelt.

‘Clive James, the most glorious prose stylist of his generation, refuses to stop learning ever more about the world’ New Statesman, Books of the Year

‘Wonderful stuff: yet more evidence of James’s vast and learned sanity, piquantly expressed... The subjects are startlingly varied but the tone is constant: erudite, engaged and engaging, and invariably glazed with wit’ Daily Telegraph

About the Author:

Clive James is the author of more than twenty books. As well as essays, verse and novels, he has published literary and television criticism, travel writing, and three volumes of autobiography. 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 033044025X
• ISBN 13: 9780330440257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 383