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y separately published work icon Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 selected work   poetry  
Issue Details: First known date: 2008... 2008 Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Opal Sunset gathers together fifty years of Clive James’s poetry, and will undoubtedly enhance his reputation as one of the most versatile and accomplished of contemporary writers. Indeed – as with Other PassportsThe Book of My Enemy and Angels Over Elsinore before it – Opal Sunset proves Clive James to be as well suited to the intense demands of the poetic form as he is to prose.

'Readers new to his verse will not be surprised to find him a master of the comic set-piece and surreal excursion, while those who are familiar with his previous collections will already be aware of his fluency and apparently effortless style, his technical skill and thematic scope. Ultimately, however, the highest recommendation one can give is that Clive James is, in these poems, unmistakably himself – an assured and dazzling wordsmith.' (Publication summary)

Notes

  • Included in the New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books List for 2008.
  • Dedication: to Robert Weil

Contents

* Contents derived from the New York (City), New York (State),
c
United States of America (USA),
c
Americas,
:
W. W. Norton , 2008 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remainderedi"The book of my enemy has been remaindered", Clive James , single work poetry satire (p. 1-2)
Sack Artisti"Reeling between the redhead and the blonde", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 3-6)
A Gesture Towards James Joycei"The gesture towards Finnegans Wake was deliberate", Clive James , single work poetry satire (p. 7-9)
Note: Epigraph: My gesture towards Finnegans Wake is deliberate. - Ronald Bush, T. S. Eliot: A Study in Character and Style.
Thoughts on Feeling Carbon-Datedi"No moons are left to see the other side of.", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 10)
Johnny Weissmuller Dead in Acapulcoi"Apart possibly from waving hello to the cliff-divers", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 11-13)
Will Those Responsible Come Forward?i"May the Lord have mercy on all those peoples", Clive James , single work poetry satire (p. 14-16)
Echo Echo Echoi"Changes in temperature entail turmoil", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 17-18)
The Anchor of the Siriusi"Triangular Macquarie Place, up from the Quay", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 19-21)
The Ferry Tokeni"Not gold but some base alloy, it stays good", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 22)
A Valediction for Philip Larkini"You never travelled much but now you have", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 23-29)
Jet-Lag in Tokyoi"Flat feet kept Einstein out of the army.", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 30-31)
What Happened to Audeni"His stunning first lines burst out of the page", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 32-36)
Last Night the Sea Dreamed It Was Greta Scacchii"Last night the sea dreamed it was Greta Scacchi.", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 37-38)
Drama in the Soviet Unioni"When Kaganovich, brother-in-law of Stalin,", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 39-40)
Budge Upi"Flowering cherry pales to brush-stroke pink at blossom fall", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 41)
Bring Me the Sweat of Gabriela Sabatinii"Bring me the sweat of Gabriela Sabatini", Clive James , single work poetry humour (p. 42-46)
Go Back to the Opal Sunseti"Go back to the opal sunset, where the wine", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 47-48)
The Eternity Mani"Never filmed, he was photgraphed only once,", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 49-54)
Reflections in an Extended Kitcheni"Late summer charms the birds out of the trees", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 55-56)
Simple Stanzas About Modern Mastersi"If T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound", Clive James , single work poetry (p. 57-58)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      W. W. Norton ,
      2008 .
      image of person or book cover 5954689872868043683.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: xxii, 178, [1]p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Introduction by Clive James, pp.xv-xxii.
      ISBN: 9780393067071 (hbk.), 0393067076
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Picador ,
      2016 .
      image of person or book cover 5892420078279449567.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 208p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 25 February 2016

      ISBN: 9781509824571

Works about this Work

A One-Man Writers' Festival Peter Kirkpatrick , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Overland , Spring no. 204 2011; (p. 55-62)
Peter Kirkpatrick on the poetic ambitions of Clive James, celebrity.
Artist Perfects His Engineering Skills Richard King , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18-20 December 2009; (p. 24-25)

— Review of The Blaze of Obscurity : Unreliable Memoirs V Clive James , 2009 single work autobiography ; Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 Clive James , 2008 selected work poetry
The Sheer Power of Limelight : Clive James's Undimmed Poetry and the Television Years Peter Craven , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2009 - January 2010 no. 317 2009; (p. 7-11)
Off the Shelf Rod Moran , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 8 December 2009; (p. 6)

— Review of Storm and Honey Judith Beveridge , 2009 selected work poetry ; Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 Clive James , 2008 selected work poetry ; The Best Australian Poetry 2009 2009 anthology poetry
Poetic Justice James Campbell , 2009 single work biography
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 22 October 2009; (p. 4)
The Roustabout David Orr , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The New York Times Book Review , 28 September vol. 113 no. 39 2008; (p. 12)

— Review of Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 Clive James , 2008 selected work poetry
Off the Shelf Rod Moran , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 8 December 2009; (p. 6)

— Review of Storm and Honey Judith Beveridge , 2009 selected work poetry ; Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 Clive James , 2008 selected work poetry ; The Best Australian Poetry 2009 2009 anthology poetry
Artist Perfects His Engineering Skills Richard King , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18-20 December 2009; (p. 24-25)

— Review of The Blaze of Obscurity : Unreliable Memoirs V Clive James , 2009 single work autobiography ; Opal Sunset : Selected Poems, 1958-2008 Clive James , 2008 selected work poetry
Poetic Justice James Campbell , 2009 single work biography
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 22 October 2009; (p. 4)
The Sheer Power of Limelight : Clive James's Undimmed Poetry and the Television Years Peter Craven , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2009 - January 2010 no. 317 2009; (p. 7-11)
A One-Man Writers' Festival Peter Kirkpatrick , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Overland , Spring no. 204 2011; (p. 55-62)
Peter Kirkpatrick on the poetic ambitions of Clive James, celebrity.
Last amended 28 Nov 2019 12:33:38
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