The River in the Sky: A Poem

Fiction & Literature, Poetry, British & Irish
Cover of the book The River in the Sky: A Poem by Clive James, Liveright
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Clive James ISBN: 9781631494741
Publisher: Liveright Publication: October 16, 2018
Imprint: Liveright Language: English
Author: Clive James
ISBN: 9781631494741
Publisher: Liveright
Publication: October 16, 2018
Imprint: Liveright
Language: English

In this deracinated age appears a miraculous epic that pays homage to Dante and Camus.

“Few people read Poetry any more, but I still wish to write its seedlings down, if only for the lull of gathering: no less a harvest season for being the last time,” writes Clive James in his epic poem, The River in the Sky. What emerges from this lamentation is a soaring epic of exceptional depth and overwhelming feeling, all the more extraordinary given its appearance in an age when the heroic poem seems to have disappeared from contemporary literature.

Among James’s many talents is his uncanny ability to juxtapose references to early twentieth-century poets with “offbeat humor and flyaway cultural observations” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), or allusions to the adagio of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony contrasted with references to “YouTube’s vast cosmopolis.” Whether recalling his Australian childhood or his father’s “clean white headstone” in a Hong Kong cemetery, James’s autobiographical epic ultimately helps us define the meaning of life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this deracinated age appears a miraculous epic that pays homage to Dante and Camus.

“Few people read Poetry any more, but I still wish to write its seedlings down, if only for the lull of gathering: no less a harvest season for being the last time,” writes Clive James in his epic poem, The River in the Sky. What emerges from this lamentation is a soaring epic of exceptional depth and overwhelming feeling, all the more extraordinary given its appearance in an age when the heroic poem seems to have disappeared from contemporary literature.

Among James’s many talents is his uncanny ability to juxtapose references to early twentieth-century poets with “offbeat humor and flyaway cultural observations” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), or allusions to the adagio of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony contrasted with references to “YouTube’s vast cosmopolis.” Whether recalling his Australian childhood or his father’s “clean white headstone” in a Hong Kong cemetery, James’s autobiographical epic ultimately helps us define the meaning of life.

More books from Liveright

Cover of the book On Hobbes: Escaping the War of All Against All (Liveright Classics) by Clive James
Cover of the book Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America's Origins to the Twenty-First Century by Clive James
Cover of the book One Toss of the Dice: The Incredible Story of How a Poem Made Us Modern by Clive James
Cover of the book The Honey Farm: A Novel by Clive James
Cover of the book The Late Parade: Poems by Clive James
Cover of the book The Double Life of Paul De Man by Clive James
Cover of the book American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by Clive James
Cover of the book Chaplin & Company: A Novel by Clive James
Cover of the book The Story of Mankind (Updated Edition) (Liveright Classics) by Clive James
Cover of the book Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted by Clive James
Cover of the book EIMI: A Journey Through Soviet Russia by Clive James
Cover of the book The Red Car: A Novel by Clive James
Cover of the book The Meaning of Human Existence by Clive James
Cover of the book Mosquitoes by Clive James
Cover of the book Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer by Clive James
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy