[A] fabulously gifted, enviably well-read, generously inclusive, and always commonsensical writer -- John Banville ? New York Review of Books

One stupendous starburst of wild brilliance. -- Simon Schama

Aphoristic and acutely provocative: a crash course in civilization. -- J. M. Coetzee

This is a beautiful book. James proves himself not only to be in possession of a towering intellect, but a singular ability to communicate his passions. ? Observer

Witty, insightful and unashamedly erudite, the book is a superb miscellany of 20th-century cultural and political subjects. ? The Sunday Times

Over the past forty years James has been scribbling notes in the margins of the books he has read . . . and this is the result. Clever, contentious and funny. ? Guardian

An eclectic journey through the 20th century, as Clive James explores the careers of luminaries such as Charles de Gaulle and Charlie Chaplin. ? Daily Express
Clive James was the author of more than forty books. As well as essays, he 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 published several poetry collections, including the Sunday Times bestseller Sentenced to Life, and a translation of Dante?s The Divine Comedy, which was also a Sunday Times bestseller. 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 and in 2013, an Officer of the Order of Australia. He died in 2019.