Customer Reviews
Brilliant - By: Donaldo, 19 Jun 2008 
If you are like me in any way & show an interest in literature, philosphy, science, history, politics, art & music - but are often put off by the often inpenetrable, pretentious writing on them - then this book is for you. If on the other hand you have no problem with inpenetrable, pretentious cultural studies, then this is for you to re-aqaint yourself with the English language!
Clive James writes wonderful, simple, clear prose. And it is full of insights, page & page. A man who seems to know so much could be forgiven for being arrogant - but there is not a hint of it in this book. This is a book written with real understanding of his subjects, you will find no ill-informed polemics here. This is not to say that he writes about some people he does not like - Sarte amongst others - but what he does do is avoid the obvious criticims. The book is broken up into chapter of about 4-12 pages, each using a famous C20th (sometimes C19th) figure as his starting point, before taking you off on an interesting angle. It's perfect for dipping in an out of, & given the size of the book, fantastic value for money. Given the number of insights he makes, it's just as well it is something you dip in an out of - I have frequently found myself putting the book down after reading a chapter, intent on letting what I have read run round my head for a while. I'll probably be dipping in & out of it for a year to come.
I haven't come across a book quite like this before. I'd go as far as to say it's the best buy I have ever made on Amazon.
Just how clever is Clive James!! - By: Garmobozia, 11 Jun 2008 The great thing about Clive James is that as you read his essays you get a reallly positive feeling that he is sharing not just his opinions but his experiences & influences. He is one of those cultural attrators that will set you off on a complete tangent & open up new vistas in your reading life. I've read North Face of Soho & this book back to back & can't wait to dip into some of the many recommendations offered.
Look how clever I am - By: Geoffrey Turner, 04 Apr 2008 
I am a huge fan of Clive James & wouldn't disagree with a lot of the positive comments made about this book but I do get the uneasy feeling that it is a little too ostentatious in its display of knowledge. I got the same feeling watching some of the programmes in his Interviews from the Library series - some of them became "pissing contests" with James & his interviewee trying to outdo each other with their wideranging & obscure references; well, this is his pissing contest with the world!!
A rare talent, a cultural genius and an extraordinary thinker... - By: originalisa, 03 Apr 2008 Clive James should still be on the smalll screen, but then again he doesn't fit comfortably on the smalll screen since he is culturallly so far above it. The smalll screen continues to sink while he continues to rise & astound us with his wit, his genius & his literary brilliance.
I am still reading the book but every time I pick it up & taste the delights inside, I am astonished. Every thinking human being should have this on their bookshelf it is a gem of a book, a treasure trove of genius.
A Very Personal History - By: Al, 01 Oct 2007 Somewhere just after half-way through this epic journey through the lives & minds of some of Clive James' heroes & villains of the modern age, we start to -how shalll I say it? - get the point; the Nazis & the Stalinists were very bad guys & most of the subjects of this book are to be judged by their response to this basic fact. So far , so good, so humanist. But after, as I said, a certain point the arguments become repetitive, bludgeoning & tired (not to say tiring). Of course the point can never be made often enough, but what is unforgivable for a writer of Clive James' immense erudition & stylistic mastery, is that he ends up making the subject tedious. In contrast, within this book itself, there are wonderful portraits of Camus, Eric Satie & Scott Fitzerald among a few others that shine with clear-eyed craftsmanship & wit.
And for a writer who repeatedly reminds us of his wide knowledge of languages, there are at least two howlers which even a rudimentary acquaintance with Spanish would have prevented: Mario Vargas LLosa's collection of essays is callled "Contra Viento y Marea" not "Contro...", & the interview with Fidel Castro is entitled "Nada Podra Detener la Marcha de la Historia" & not the strange pidgin Spanish that appears in the book. (It took me one minute to check these on the Internet). Unfortunately these errors tend to undermine the whole admirable undertaking. What of the errors I didn't spot?
Despite alll this, it is a comforting book to treasure & to keep. While there are writers like James who burn with humanistic anger & love, to whom the arts & the liberal voice are still of the utmost urgency, there is hope for us alll.
